High Density Planting System (HDPS)

High Density Planting System includes planting of recommended hybrids/varieties at a spacing of 90x15 cm with the help of pneumatic planter or manual sowing and management of Plant architecture with : Mepiquat chloride (Chamatkar) along with other recommended package of practices.

Seven recommended cotton hybrids were demonstrated through 2002 demonstrations covering 1885.8 ha under High-Density Planting System (HDPS). On an average HDPS demonstrations recorded 39.677% higher yields over the farmer practice indicating significant productivity gains through improved planting geometry and canopy management practices. The hybrid Rasi Swift (RCH 971 BG II) was demonstrated in 1305.78 ha which gave 55.17% higher yield in HDPS. Similarly, RCH 929 BG II, was demonstrated with 55.46% yield advantage in 481.38 ha in this system.

Table 3. Performance of HDPS technology in demonstrations

Closer Spacing Planting System

Under the system of sowing at a spacing of 90 x 30 cm with canopy management, 1466 demonstrations were conducted across 1268.8 ha area. The average yield under these demonstrations was 27.44 q/ha, which was 45.08% higher than the yield under farmers' practice (19.29 q/ha). All the hybrids outperformed their counterparts of the farmers' practice. The yield enhancement ranged from 24% to 60% depending on the soil condition, management and hybrids used.

Table 4. Performance of Closer Spacing technology in demonstrations

Extra Long Staple (ELS) production technologies for niche areas

ELS cotton production technology standardized by ICAR-CICR was demonstrated in 50 ha by conducting 91 demonstrations in Tamil Nadu. On average, the yield obtained from these demonstrations was 16.31 q/ha, which was 39.43% higher than the farmers' practice yield of 11.78 q/ha. Among the hybrids, MRC 7918 BG II recorded the highest average yield of 18.98 q/ha, followed by Suraksha (17.7 q/ha). In terms of yield increase over control, the hybrid Kohinoor (Nuziveedu Seeds) showed the highest percentage increase of 47.28%, followed closely by Badshah (43%) and MRC 7918 BG II (37.29%).

Table 5. Performance of ELS technology in demonstrations

Costs and returns in cotton demonstrations

All three technologies, HDPS, closer spacing, and ELS cotton demonstrated higher net incomes compared to the farmers' practice. In the case of HDPS demonstrations, although the cost of cultivation increased by 27.97%, the gross income nearly doubled (94.91% increase), resulting in a 90.55% higher net income than the control plots. On average, this translated to an additional net income of approximately Rs.54,665 per hectare, indicating a strong economic advantage despite the higher input costs. In the closer spacing demonstrations, the cost of cultivation increased modestly by 6.83%. However, this was offset by a 47.92% increase in gross income, leading to a 44.25% higher net income when compared to farmers' practice. This confirms the economic viability of closer spacing as a strategy to improve returns. For ELS (Extra-Long Staple) cotton, the demonstration plots recorded a gross income of Rs.2,73,364/ha and a net income of Rs.1,34,811.83/ha, despite a higher cultivation cost of Rs.1,07,630.83/ha.