MONTHLY ACTIVITIES OF COTTON CULTIVATION

MONTHLY ACTIVITIES OF COTTON CULTIVATION

January
 This month is perfect time for seed cotton collection. Seed cotton should be collected in sunny days when fog is not present. From 10am to 4pm is better time for seed collection. Farmer should keep in mind that only mature seed should be collected. We may collect seed two to three times but immature seed should not be collected. So it insures good quality seeds and makes picking of seed easy. Farmer must be careful during picking of cotton so that dead leaf and other waste may not mix with seed cotton. Different varieties of seed cotton should be collected separately.
February
Farmers have to dry all collected seed cotton. Drying should be done for 5 to 7 hours for 2 to 3 days minimum. Different varieties of seed cotton should be kept separately. When dry seeds are bitten, a sound will be produced.
March
 Green manuring may be done with Dhaincha or Sunhemp because it is very important cotton cultivation. Or farmer may use lands for other crops such as aus rice, sweet gourd, sesame, long yard bean, mung bean chili etc.
April
 This month is for very important green manuring as green manuring is very important for cotton cultivation.
Seed rate of green manuring crops is 50kg/hectare. After 40-50 days green manure should be incorporated with soil properly so that green manure may decompose rapidly.
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(In this month Cotton Development Board of Bangladesh arranges training for farmers in unit level) 
May
Land selection for cotton cultivation is done in this month. Suitable land for cotton cultivation is selected. An important feature of cotton plants is defoliated dry leaves of cotton plants add huge amount of organic matter in soil. SO we may select char lands and low fertile fellow lands for cotton cultivation.
June
 Seeds of cotton are collected in this month.
July
 This month is for plough. It is done 3 to 4 times when soil is in favorable condition. Laddering should be done to make soil friable. It is important for cotton seed germination.
August
Seeds are sown in this month.
Seeds should be sown at the rate of
a) For High Yielding Varieties 10 to 12 kg per hectare
b) For Hybrid Varieties 3.5 to 4 kg per hectare
Land is prepared with keeping distance between line to line 90cm (3ft) and plant to plant 45 cm (1.5ft)

September
 Water logged condition is very harmful for cotton plants. So farmer should be very careful during rainy season. Excessive water should be draining out immediately. If land is affected by flood, Farmers have to apply urea and MO when water is removed.
October
 If moisture is reduced in 1 or 2 light irrigation should be done in cotton field. Unnecessary seedlings must not remain in fields. So one seedling should be kept and others will be removed to maintain plant to plant distance after 20 days of sprouting of seedlings.
 November
 In this month boll worms attack the boll of cottons. So farmer must destroy all infected boll after hand picking. All other harmful insects must be destroyed. Leaves, shoots flowers and bolls that are attacked be worms must be destroyed. Sticks of bamboo may be set up in fields so that birds can sit on it. Birds eat harmful insects. Molasses trap is effective to control insects. This trap attract boll worm. 15 to 20 mounds seed cotton may be produced if proper management is done.
December
 Cotton bolls are burst out in this month. Mature seed cotton are harvested from field. Seeds are not harvested just after bursting because it will hamper the quality of fiber. So burst bolls are kept in field for 7 to 10 days without harvesting. So improve quality fiber is insured as well as market value.  Immature and wet seeds are harvested. Wet seed cotton means bad quality cotton and it cannot be preserved. Wet seed cotton reduce the market price and quality product is not insured.