Performance of Different Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) Genotypes under Varying Sowing Dates and their Influence on Yield-Contributing Parameters

Abstract

Cotton is globally significant economically and plays a major role in international trade and economies, particularly in Pakistan's economy. However, its growth and early seed cotton production face challenges due to various environmental conditions. This study aims to evaluate the effect of different planting dates on the growth and yield of cotton. The experiment used a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Four cotton genotypes (M-32, NIA-88, IUB-13, and NIAB-878) were sown on March 25th, April 25th, and May 25th at the Nuclear Institute of Agriculture (NIA) Tandojam. The data showed that cotton crops sown on March 25th demonstrated significantly superior performance, with a plant height of 114.33 cm, an average of 20.83 sympodial branches per plant, an average of 22.66 bolls per plant, a boll weight of 2.68 g, a ginning outturn of 37.79%, a seed cotton yield of 61.05 g per plant, a staple length of 28.60 cm, a micronaire of 3.69 µg inch-1, and seed cotton. In the case of genotypes, the NIA-88 produced the maximum plant height of 102.67 cm, 20.44 sympodial branches per plant, 20.44 bolls per plant, a boll weight of 2.63 g, a ginning outturn of 38.72%, a seed cotton yield of 55.91 g per plant, a staple length of 29.31 cm, a micronaire of 3.87 µg inch-1, and a seed cotton yield of 1311 kg ha-1. It was concluded that the cotton genotypes sown on March 25th showed superior performance in terms of seed cotton yield.