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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 12 No. 3 (2025)

Interaction of compact varieties, nitrogen levels and deficit sub-surface drip irrigation on growth and yield of cotton under high-density planting system

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.8695
Submitted
6 April 2025
Published
26-06-2025 — Updated on 01-07-2025
Versions

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the 2024-25 summer and winter seasons at Wetland Farm, TNAU, Coimbatore, to optimize irrigation and nitrogen management for cotton under high-density planting systems (HDPS) in semi-arid tropics. The trial, designed as a split-split plot with three irrigation levels in the main plots (1.0, 0.8 and 0.6 ETc), two varieties in the sub-plots (CO 17, VPT 2) and three nitrogen management strategies in the sub-sub plots (Control, 100 % RDN through granular urea, 50 % RDN through granular urea + 20 % N through Nano urea @ 25 DAS + 20 % N through Nano urea @ 45 DAS + 10 % N through Nano urea @ 65 DAS), each replicated three times. Results revealed that the 1.0 ETc irrigation regime significantly enhanced plant height, bolls per plant and seed cotton yield. Compact variety CO 17 showed superior performance in growth and yield under a high-density planting system compared to VPT 2. Regarding nitrogen management, application of 50 % RDN through granular urea + 20 % N through Nano urea @ 25 DAS + 20 % N through Nano urea @ 45 DAS + 10 % N through Nano urea @ 65 DAS significantly increased the seed cotton yield. For high-density cotton cultivation in semi-arid regions, the CO 17 variety under 1.0 ETc sub-surface drip irrigation, combined with the nitrogen strategy, is recommended to maximize productivity and profitability. This approach offers a sustainable framework for improving cotton yields in water and nutrient-constrained environments.

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