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Clever use of nutrients to fight in time
Cotton cultivation has long been a topic of great interest among farmers, especially when it comes to managing the vegetative branches. During my visit to a cotton region in Shanxi from late June to early July, I observed three different approaches: completely removing all vegetative shoots, leaving them all untouched, and selectively keeping some. In my opinion, both extremes—removing all or leaving all—are not ideal.
Vegetative branches, also known as leafy shoots or "crazy rice" in local terms, play a crucial role in cotton farming. Though they don’t directly produce flowers, they can develop into fruiting branches that bloom and set bolls. These branches help fill gaps in plant spacing and compensate for weak growth, making the most of the peak flowering period and increasing the number of bolls per unit area. For example, varieties like XinKang No.4, Zhongmian 23, and Guoxin No.3 can develop fruiting branches as early as the first or second leaf node, showing their significant potential.
It’s important to choose which vegetative branches to keep. The strongest ones should be retained, as they are more likely to produce large bolls. Some farmers mistakenly believe that thick vegetative branches compete with the main stem for nutrients, so they remove them and leave weaker ones—this is counterproductive. The kept branches grow after 3–4 fruiting branches and start contributing significantly by mid-July at the latest.
Timing is also key. Vegetative shoots should be managed neither too early nor too late. Some farmers claim their variety is “lazy†and doesn’t require pruning, but this approach often leads to poor yields. Leaving too many vegetative shoots wastes water and nutrients, hinders air circulation, and increases boll shedding. It’s better to manage them carefully, especially in dense or small-spaced fields where manual labor is needed.
On the other hand, completely removing all vegetative shoots, especially in wide-row fields, is also problematic. This can lead to underutilized space, poor canopy coverage, and ultimately lower yields. Many farmers fail to realize that even though plants look healthy, low boll numbers result in wasted resources.
The best strategy is to selectively retain vegetative branches, not too many, and not too few. Strong vegetative branches have greater potential to produce high-quality bolls, while weak ones are less effective. Different cotton varieties respond differently, so it's essential to adjust based on the plant's growth and conditions.
Finally, the timing of topping the main stem depends on the number of fruiting branches. In general fertility and density areas, each plant should have around 12–13 fruiting branches. In fertile, low-density hybrid cotton, up to 14–15 may be acceptable. In thin soil or high-density fields, 9–11 is usually enough. If topping is delayed, the top fruit branch should still grow 3 buds; otherwise, it’s too late. In northern regions, farmers traditionally top around July 20, but with Bt cotton, growth is faster, so timing should be adjusted based on actual development. Don’t overdo it—too many fruiting branches can lead to tall, sparse plants with poor boll formation.