Influence of planting density and fertilizer management on growth, productivity and quality parameters of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) in Central U.P., India

Abstract:

Globally, cotton ranks among the most economically significant crops, making substantial contributions to the economies of numerous nations. Its cultivation extends across approximately 100 countries, with China, India, the United States, Pakistan, and Brazil collectively accounting for the largest share of world production; the crop underpins the textile sector by supplying raw fibrous lint. A field experiment was therefore conducted with hirsutum cotton genotype H-1300 during the Kharif season of 2024 at the Agriculture Farm of Swami Vivekanand Subharti University, Meerut, with the objective of evaluating the influence of plant spacing and fertilizer regimes on growth performance, yield attributes, total yield, fibre quality, and economic returns of hirsutum cotton. Seven treatment combinations were imposed, as follows: T₁ - control without fertilizer + normal spacing (67.5 × 30 cm); T₂ - 100% RDF + normal spacing; T₃ - 100% RDF + 25% less than normal spacing; T₄ - 125% RDF + 25% less than normal spacing; T₅ - 125% RDF + 25% less than normal spacing + soil application of ZnSO4; T₆ - 125% RDF + 25% less than normal spacing + foliar spray of 2% urea and 2% DAP; and T₇ - 125% RDF + 25% less than normal spacing + foliar spray of MgSO4 and ZnSO4. All treatments were laid out in a randomised block design replicated three times, with a standard inter-row spacing of 67.5 cm and an intra-row plant-to-plant distance of 30 cm. Treatment T₆ (125% RDF + 25% below standard spacing + foliar spray of 2% urea and 2% DAP) recorded the greatest improvements in all growth indices — plant height at 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 DAS, monopodial and sympodial branch counts, and fresh as well as dry weight per plant — along with the highest yield attributes (boll number per plant, bolls per m², and individual boll weight), economic yields (seed cotton, lint, seed, and stick), and superior fibre quality scores (ginning out-turn and micronaire value). Fibre strength was highest under T₄ (125% RDF + 25% reduced spacing), while uniformity ratio did not differ significantly across treatments. The second-best performance was consistently delivered by T₇ (125% RDF + 25% below standard spacing + MgSO₄ + ZnSO₄ foliar spray). On the basis of these findings, it can be concluded that hirsutum cotton genotype H-1300 cultivated under an input combination of 125% RDF (60:30:20 kg NPK ha⁻¹), 25% reduced inter-plant spacing, and foliar application of 2% urea plus 2% DAP proved to be the most productive and economically rewarding option for cotton production in the Central Plain Zone of Uttar Pradesh.