Sowing Time of Cotton and its Performance in South-West Punjab

A Three-year (1990-92) Field Experiment Was Conducted At Regional Research Station, Bathinda, On A Loamy Sand Soil To Study The Effect Of Sowing Time Of American Cotton On Its Growth And Yield. Cotton Was Sown After A Presowing Irrigation On April 22 To June 23 At Fortnightly Interval. The Maximum Air Temperature During Emergence Showed Wide Fluctuations In The Three Years. During The 1st Year, The Maximum Weekly Air Temperature Was Higher During 15th, 16th And 20th To 24th Standard Week Than During 2nd And 3rd Years. The Maximum Air Temperature During 14th, 17th And 18th Week Of The 2nd Year Was Higher Than In Other Two Years And Later Dropped To Less Than 37°C In 24th And 25th Week. The Number Of Post Sowing Irrigations Was Highest During 2nd Year Due To Subnormal Rainfall And Varied With Sowing Time In The Three Years. The Mean Seed Cotton Yields Were At Par Up To May 23 And Subsequent Sowings Drastically Reduced The Seed Cotton Yield. May Sown Crop Yielded Highest During Second Year.