COTTON

MAJOR FACTORS:
AREA OF CULTIVATION:
  COTTON IS GROWN BETWEEN 38°NORTH LATITUDE AND 25°SOUTH LATITUDE EXCEPT IN THE CENTRAL ASIAN STATES WHERE COTTON IS GROWN BETWEEN 38° AND 42° NORTH LATITUDE AND AS FAR SOUTH AS 28° LATITUDE IN ARGENTINA..
   TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL:
                        COTTON IS A SUB TROPICAL WHICH GROWS BEST IN REGIONS WHICH HAVE  A LONG WARM AND MOIST GROWING  PERIOD.A TEMPERATURE OF 25°C AND ANNUAL RAINFALL BETWEEN 20 TO 40...
  INCHES DURING THE GROWING SEASON ARE ESSENTIAL FOR THE SUCCESS CULTIVATION.BUT RAIN SHOUD BE ABSENT DURIG HARVESTING PERIOD. EXCESSIVE MOISTURE AND WELL ATTENDANT CLOUDY DAYS DO NOT ENCOURAGE COTTON CULTIVATION .NOTHING IS INJURIOUS TO COOTON PLANTS THAN THE FROST .THE BEST GROWING AREAS ARE THEREFORETHE FORST FREE AREAS VERY LITTLE COTTON IS GROWN WHERE THE AVERAGES OF THE GROWING SEASON IS LESS THAN 200 .THE COOLER CONDITION ARE PREFRED AT THE TIME OF HARVESTING..
IMPORTANCE OF IRRIGATION:
      BETTER CROPS AND BETTER QUALITY FIBERS ARE OBTAINED WITH USE  OF IRRIGATION BECUASE CORRECT AMOUNT OF WATER AND AT THE CORRECT TIME IS POSSIBLE ONLY BY IRRIGATION. WHERE IRRIGATION IS USED THE FIELD ARE USUALLY WATERED EVERY 10 TO 15 DAYS DURING THE GROWING PERIOD .SEA BREEZE IS BENEFICIAL FOR THE QUALITY OF THE FIBER.SO ALL THE GOOD QUALITY COTTON OF THE WORLD IS CULTIVATED IN REGIONS NOT FAR AWAY FROM THE SEA...
SOIL:
  THE COTTTON PLANT GROWS BEST ON MEDIUM LOAM  DEEP FRIABLE SOILS RIC IN HUMUS AND LIME AND WELL DRAINED .IT REQURIES HEAVY APPLICATION OF MANURE OR CHEMICAL FERTILIZER ESPECIALLY NITRATE BECUASE IT IS VERY EXCHAUSTIVE TO SOIL. SOME SOIL ARE SUITED TO COTTON CULTIVATION SUCH AS BLACK COTTON SOIL OF DACCAN INDIA .FOR BETTER UTILIZATION AND TO MAKE RICH THE SOIL COTN SHULD BE GROWN IN ROTATION WITH OTHER CROPS.IN DENSELY POPULATED ARE DURING THE OFF SEASON SOME OTHER CROPS ARE ALSO CULTIVATED FOR THEIR FOOD REQUIREMENTS BECUASE THE COTTON IS GROWN LARGELY BY PEASANT FARMERS WHO REQUIRE CASH AS WELL AS FOOD CROPS!!!!