Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC) - Sudan
Proceedings of the Meetings of the National Crop Husbandry Committee - NCHC
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Evaluation of mechanical
sowing of medium staple cotton seed
Sheikh El Din A. Gadir El-Awad
Abstract:
Manual sowing is the traditional method for cotton production in
irrigated schemes. Improper crop geometry in farmers’ fields is
considered as one of the main factors behind reduced cotton
productivity. Administrators in irrigated schemes have placed more
emphasis on mechanical sowing of various field crops, which is now
practiced in a very limited scale. This work was carried out to evaluate
technically, economically and agronomically the mechanical sowing
operation performance of medium staple cotton with mechanically delinted
seeds, and to compare and evaluate mechanical sowing of chemically
delinted seeds with manual sowing operation.
Results indicated a complete failure of emergence with mechanical sowing
of mechanically delinted seeds of medium staple cotton, suggesting that
medium staple cottonseeds should be chemically delinted if mechanical
sowing is to be practiced.
Comparison of mechanical sowing of chemically delinted seeds with manual
sowing operation indicated that the required time of manual sowing was
19 times the requirement of mechanical sowing. Mechanical sowing
resulted in savings of about 40% of the seed rate and in significantly
narrower spacing of about 24 cm with approximately similar plant
population to the recommended one, with 1–2 seeds/hill. On the other
hand, manual sowing operation resulted in spacing between plants of
about 46 cm with 5–6 plants/hole. However, mechanical sowing resulted in
insignificantly greater yields of cotton for the two seasons. Hence,
despite the savings in time and seed rate, mechanical sowing should be
recommended only if chemically delinted cotton seed is available,
otherwise, the crop has to be sown manually.
Proceedings of the Meetings of the National Crop Husbandry Committee 37th (2005) pp. 101-106
Proceedings of the Meetings of the National Crop Husbandry Committee - Sudan
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