ABSTRACT
Field were conducted during the dry of 2007, 2008, and 2009, at the Research Station Farm, Kadawa (11039’N, 08027’E; altitude 500m), of the Institute for Agricultural Research to study the response of cotton varieties to irrigation methods and nitrogen fertilization.
consisted of factorial of four levels of nitrogen fertilizer (40, 70, 100 and 130 kg ha-1), three irrigation methods (border strip, check basin and furrow), and three cotton varieties (SAMCOT 10, SAMCOT 11 and SAMCOT 13), laid out in a split plot design replicated three times.
Nitrogen and irrigation methods were factorially combined and assigned to the main plots while cotton varieties were assigned to the sub-plots. Agronomic practices where done to ensure good crop growth.
In the three years the performance of the varieties was generally better in 2008 than the other two years due to better weather and nutrient status of the area.
The study showed that among the varieties tested, SAMCOT 13 exhibited superior growth and yield performance in most of the characters measured than the other two varieties.
SAMCOT 13 variety had significantly higher dry matter production, leaf area index, crop growth rate, net assimilation rate, number of branches per plant, number of bolls per plant, boll weight, number of seeds per boll, 100-seed weight, percentage oil content of cotton seed, fibre finess, seed cotton (600 kg ha-1) and lint yield per ha.
Check basin irrigation method gave higher seed cotton yield only in 2007 while lint yield was not affected by irrigation method. Border strip significantly resulted in taller plants, earlier flowering and boll opening while furrow irrigation resulted in higher percentage of protein content of cotton seeds.
Furrow irrigation resulted in higher water use efficiency and fibre finess. Increasing nitrogen fertilization significantly increased growth characters like plant height, total dry matter, leaf area index, CGR and number of branches per plant but significantly delayed days to 50% flowering and boll opening.
The seed cotton yield and most of the yield components were significantly increased with application of 70 kg N ha-1 but further increase resulted in significantly lower yields.
Seed cotton yield had positive and significant correlation with total dry matter, LAI, number of branches per plant, days to 50% flowering and boll opening, number of bolls plant-1 boll weight and number of seeds per boll.
Path analysis indicated that the highest contribution to seed cotton yield by growth characters was through total dry weight and leaf area index while highest contribution by yield components to seed cotton yield was through boll weight and number of seeds per boll.
Polynomial responses of seed cotton yield to varied nitrogen rates showed a quadratic response with 93.0 kg N ha-1 as the optimum rate for seed cotton yield during the combine mean. The partial economic analysis showed that it is more economical to apply 70 kg N ha-1 to SAMCOT 13 cotton variety under border strip irrigation method.
Furrow irrigation method gave highest water use efficiency, percentage oil and protein content of cotton seed. The use of SAMCOT 13 and 93.0 kg N ha-1 using border strip irrigation method will be better adopted for maximum seed cotton yield during dry season.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE ………… i
DECLARATION ……… ii
CERTIFICATION… iii
DEDICATION …… iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…… v
ABSTRACT …… vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS ……… ix
LIST OF TABLES ……… xii
LIST OF APPENDICES AND FIGURES … xv
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION ……… 1
1.1 Production ………………. 2
1.2 Environmental Requirements .…… 2
1.3 Economic Importance and Use……….. 3
1.4 Basin, Border and Furrow Irrigation …….. 3
1.5 Justification and Objectives………… 4
CHAPTER TWO
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW ….. 7
2.1 Effect of Irrigation Methods on Cotton Growth…. 8
2.2 Effect of Irrigation Methods on Cotton Yield of Cotton… 9
2.3 Role of Nitrogen Fertilization in Cotton Development……… 11
2.4 Effect of Nitrogen on Cotton Growth…….. 12
2.5 Effect of Nitrogen on Yield and Yield Components of Cotton.….. 13
2.6 Response of Cotton Varieties to Irrigation and Nitrogen Fertilization…….. 16
2.7 Correlation and Path Analysis………… 17
CHAPTER THREE
3.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS …… 19
3.1 Experimental Site ……… 19
3.2 Treatments and Experimental Design …… 19
3.3 Description of cotton varieties…………. 19
3.3.1 SAMCOT 10 ……………. 19
3.3.2 SAMCOT 11 …………. 20
3.3.3 SAMCOT 13 …………… 20
3.4 Cultural Practices ….. 20
3.4.1 Land preparation …….. 20
3.4 2 Seed source .. 20
3.4.3 Seed sowing ……………. 21
3.4.4 Fertilizer application ……. 21
3.4.5 Weed control …………. 21
3.4.6 Pest and disease control………….. 21
3.4.7 Application of irrigation water…….. 22
3.4.8 Water use ……….. 22
3.4.9 Water use efficiency ……… …. 22
3.4.10 Harvesting ………. 23
3.5 OBSERVATION AND DATA COLLECTION …….. 23
3.5.1 Plant height ……… 23
3.5.2 Leaf area index …………… 23
3.5.3 Total dry matter ……… 24
3.5.4 Crop growth rate ………… 24
3.5.5 Relative growth rate (RGR) …… 24
3.5.6 Net assimilation rate …………… 24
3.5.7 Number of branches per plant…… 25
3.5.8 Days to 50% flowering ……………… 25
3.5.9 Days to 50% of boll opening ……… 25
3.5.10 Number of bolls per plant …………………. 25
3.5.11 Boll weight ………. 25
3.5.12 Number of seeds per boll …………………… 26
3.5.13 Weight of seeds per boll ……….. 26
3.5.14 Seed cotton yield ……………. 26
3.5.15 Ginning percentage …………… 26
3.5.16 Lint yield ……………… 26
3.5.17 Percentage of seed oil content ……… 26
3.5.18 Percentage of seed protein content ………. 27
3.5.19 100-seed weight…. 27
3.5.20 Lint index……… 27
3.5.21 Fibre finess………….. 27
3.6 Soil Sampling and Analysis ………… 27
3.7 Cost Benefit Analysis of Yield…….. 28
3.8 Statistical Analyses of Data… 29
CHAPTER FOUR
4.0 RESULTS … 29
4.1 Plant Height …………… 29
4.2 Total Dry Matter …… 31
4.3 Leaf Area Index (LAI) ……… 33
4.4 Crop Growth Rate …… 39
4.5 Relative Growth Rate (RGR) … 41
4.6 Net Assimilation Rate (NAR) … 41
4.7 Number of Branches Per Plant ………. 43
4.8 Days to 50 % Flowering ……. 45
4.9 Days to 50% Boll Opening ……. 51
4.10 Number of Bolls Per Plant ……. 54
4.11 Boll Weight ……….……. 59
4.12 Number of Seeds per Boll …… 61
4.13 Ginning Percentage … 61
4.14 100-seed Weight ….. 66
4.15 Lint Index …………… 66
4.16 Seed Cotton Yield ………… 69
4.17 Lint Yield ……… 72
4.18 Fibre finess ………….. 71
4.19 Oil content of Cotton Seed ………. 74
4.20 Protein Content of Cotton Seed……..…… 81
4.21 Water Use ………… 85
4.22 Water Use Efficiency … 87
4.23 Correlation Analysis…… 87
4.24 Path Co-efficient Analysis …….. 92
4.25 Regression analysis………. 100
4.26 Cost Benefit Analysis ……… 100
CHAPTER FIVE
5.0 DISCUSSION . 104
5.1 Effect of Seasons……… 104
5.2 Effect of Nitrogen …. 107
5.3 Effect of Irrigation Method .….. 109
5.4 Varietal Response …….. 110
5.5 Interaction Effect … 111
5.5.1 Nitrogen and irrigation methods ………… 111
5.5.2 Irrigation method and variety . 112
5.5.3 Nitrogen and variety ………… 113
5.6 Regression Analysis.. 113
5.7 Correlation and Path Coefficient Analysis ……. 113
5.7.1 Correlation … 113
5.7.2 Path coefficient analysis ……….. 114
5.8 Cost Benefit Analysis… 114
CHAPTER SIX
6.0 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION …… 116
6.1 Recommendation .. 118
REFERENCES ……… …. 119
APPENDICES …. 131
INTRODUCTION
The cotton plant is a deciduous, indeterminate perennial plant in the genus Gossypium of the family Malvaceae, or mallow family, and is native to subtropical climates.
Two old world diploid (2n =2x=26) species, G. arboretum and G. herbaceum, and two new world tetraploid (2n=4x=52) species, G. barbadense and G. hirsutum, have been domesticated independently for cultivation throughout the world.
The most widely grown species worldwide is G. hirsutum which is grown over 95% of the world hectarage, followed by G. barbadense (Wendel et al. 2010).
Upland cotton, G. hirsutum, is native to Mexico and a part of Central America, and Pima, Egyptian or American-Egyptian; G. barbadense is native to South America (Brubaker, et al., 1999). Cotton (G. hirsutum L.) is an important commercial crop in the world.
Cotton is known as the king of fibre crops and nowadays is being referred as the “white gold”. Cotton is the most important vital crop of commerce to many countries. It has a relatively long history in Nigeria.
The cultivation of the crop started well before the colonial era, even though it was not produced for exports until the onset of the activities of the British Cotton Growing Association (BCGA) (now Cotton and Agricultural Processors Limited CAP) around 1903.
Cotton is a plant that has been known and cultivated for a very long time. The use of its fibre dates back to as far as 3000 BC in the Indus Valley, and to 2400 BC in Peru.
Its culture was extended into the Mediterranean Basin by the Arabs in about the 9th century. The primary product of cotton plant has been the lint that covers the seeds within the seed pod or boll.
REFERENCES
Abduldahab, A. and Hassanin, M.A. (1991). Analytical study of yield and its components of Egyptian cotton under different N-levels and plant population densities. Bulletin of Faculty of Agriculture, University of Cairo, 42:1029-1041(Field Crop Abstract.,45 (10): 7312., 1992)
Abdulmumin, S. and Misari, S.M. (1990). Coefficients of Some Major Crops of the Nigerian Semi-arid Tropics. Agricultural Water Management 18(2): 159-171 Ado, S.G.,
Abdullahi,Y.I. and Muhammad, M.S. (2008). Development of cotton varieties for Nigerian farmers: The journey so far. Invited Paper presented at a Seminar on Repositioning of Cotton Industry in Nigeria – The Way Forward, held at Hamdala Hotel Kaduna, April 23-24, 2008.
Adeniji, O.B. (2007). Constraints to improved cotton production in Katsina state, Nigeria. www.medwelljournals.com
Ahmad, N. (2000). Plan Nutrition Management for Sustainable agricultural growth in Pakistan. Proceedings on Plant Nutrition management for sustainable Agricultural Growth (Decenda 8-10, 1997) National fertilizer development centre, Planning and Development division, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, pp. 11-24.
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