Arid Zone Research ›› 2022, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (6): 1976-1985.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2022.06.27

• Agricultural Ecology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of different irrigation rates on cotton growth and yield formation in Xinjiang

ZHANG Hui1,2(),ZHANG Kai1,2(),CHEN Bing1,2,YANG Chuan1,2,LIU Ping1,2   

  1. 1. College of Grassland and Environmental Sciences, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, Xinjiang, China
    2. Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Soil and Plant Ecological Processes, Urumqi 830052, Xinjiang, China
  • Received:2022-06-20 Revised:2022-08-25 Online:2022-11-15 Published:2023-01-17
  • Contact: Kai ZHANG E-mail:1030974486@qq.com;zhangkai4595241@163.com

Abstract:

To study the effects of different irrigation amounts on cotton growth and yield formation in Xinjiang to provide a theoretical basis for water-efficient utilization in high-yield cotton fields in Xinjiang. The field experiment was conducted under drip irrigation under the film. With the normal irrigation volume as the control (3071 m3·hm-2, I100), three deficit gradients were established, including light deficit (2686 m3·hm-2, I85), moderate deficit (2421 m3·hm-2, I75), and severe deficit (1955 m3·hm-2, I60). The plant height, the number of main stem nodes, the number of fruit branches, boll setting, and shedding characteristics of cotton were measured at different growth stages, the yield components of cotton were measured, and the irrigation water use efficiency was calculated during the harvest period. The results showed that: (1) the bud, flowering, full boll, and boll opening stages of cotton under deficit irrigation treatment were 1-2 days, 2-4 days, 3-8 days, and 4-11 days earlier than that under normal irrigation treatment; (2) Before entering the boll stage, the plant height and internode length of the main stem of cotton showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing with decreased irrigation amount, and after the boll stage, both decreased with decreased irrigation amount; The number of bolls and fruit set in the middle and lower canopy of cotton decreased with decreased irrigation, and the number of fruit set in the middle canopy significantly differed among different irrigation treatments (P < 0.05); (3) At the harvest stage, the seed cotton yield of I100 treatment was 6090 kg·hm-2, which was 7.4%-27.3% higher than that of deficit irrigation treatment; The efficiency of irrigation water use increases with decreasing irrigation amount, and the highest is 2.27 kg·m-3. To sum up, when considering the benefits of agricultural production, efficient utilization of water resources, and the ecological environment, it is recommended to perform moderate deficit irrigation for cotton in Xinjiang to improve the efficiency of irrigation water utilization, save water resources, and achieve the optimization of social, economic, and ecological environment benefits while ensuring high crop yield.

Key words: cotton, deficit irrigation, boll setting characteristics, irrigation water utilization efficiency