Location :        
Cotton Research Station, Srivilliputtur is situated 2 KM away from Srivilliputtur Town at Srivilliputtur – Sattur Road.

Geographically placed at 9” 5’ North latitude and 77” 6’ East longitude and at an altitude of 137.59 m  MSL.

Area of the Research Farm

Average rainfall             :           835.2 mm (average of 33 years)

Mean Temperature         :           Maximum          :           35.5^o C

                                                 Minimum           :           25.2^o C

Soil type                         :           Sandy clay loam to clay loam

Irrigation source

Tank fed (Rajakulaperi tank)

Ground water: 4 open and 3 bore wells

Cotton Research Station, Srivilliputtur was started in the year 1950.  This station caters to the needs of summer irrigated cotton zone of southern region of Tamil Nadu.  In this region, the summer is hot and harsh (upto 38.7^oC) with intermittent summer showers (about 200 to 300 mm).  Nearly one-third of the total rainfall (about 840 mm) is received during this season, which is being utilized by the cotton crop.

The summer irrigated cotton area comprises the Districts of Madurai, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli, Dindigul and parts of Tiruchirapalli.  About 30,000 hectares grown with summer irrigated cotton.   Sowings are taken up in the months of February-March after the harvest of paddy and other cereal crops.  The harvest of cotton is completed by the end of July-August.  The important milestones in the establishment of the station are as fallows.

Objectives:

Evolving good quality, medium and long staple, drought resistant cotton varieties and intra- hirsutum hybrids with resistance to pest and diseases and suitable for the summer irrigated tracts of Tamil Nadu.

First Head of the Station:    Dr. Tmt. P.S. CHANDARAMATHI,

                                           Professor and Head 

Project details

• Crop improvement

• Evaluation and utilization of breeding materials received through AICCIP

• Evolution of high yielding short duration intra hirsutum hybrids for the summer irrigated/rice fallow tracts of Tamil Nadu.

• Evolution of high yielding variety in cotton resistant to leaf hopper for summer-irrigated / rice fallow cotton tracts of Tamil Nadu.

• Nucleus and breeder seed production in cotton SVPR 2 and SVPR.3 and sesame – SVPR 1.

Crop management

• Agronomic requirements for promising cotton genotypes – evaluation of optimum nutrient and spatial requirements.

• Evaluation of split application of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium for increasing yield and quality of cotton.

• Evaluation of management technologies, particularly foliar nutrition for enhancing yield under delayed sowing conditions.

• Evaluation of prometryn and trifloxysulfuran against major cotton weeds.

• Plant protection

• Screening of cotton genotypes/breeding materials for resistance to pest and diseases.

• Integrated management of pests in summer irrigated cotton.

• Developing management technologies for seedling diseases and root rot.

• Testing of non conventional chemicals and natural products against bacterial blight in cotton

• Testing of new molecules against major cotton pests.

Department/Libraries :

Laboratory details:

A multipurpose Laboratory Complex, Screen house and Mini Lab complex are available.

Information on teachers

Technologies :

Special Technologies developed :

·         A new cropping pattern cotton – pulse – paddy was found to be highly economic compared to cotton – rice sequence.

·         60:30:30 kg NPK/ha applied as 50% of N and the entire P and K as basal and the remaining half applied on 45^th day followed by earthing up, gave maximum yield in summer irrigated cotton.

·         Clipping of apical buds from 15^th node i.e., on 75-80 day of sowing arrests excessive vegetative growth and promotes boll development.

·         Sowing of rice fallow cotton in seed row tillage after the harvest of paddy gives higher seed cotton yield.

·         Cotton sown on ridges followed by earthing up on 40^th day reduced the incidence of stem weevil.

·         Neem oil 3% spray, soil application of neem cake 250 kg/ha coupled with spraying of NSKE 5% reduced the jassid population.

·         Soil application of neem cake @ 150 kg/ha plus seed treatment with Trichoderma viride @ 4 g/kg of seed reduced the incidence of seedling blight as well as dry root rot of cotton

·         Basal application of Neem cake 150 kg/ha followed by drenching with 1% Neem oil suspension and earthing up on 25 DAS proved effective in reducing the stem weevil damage.

·         Application of recommended dose of fertilizers by skipping basal and applying all the major nutrients in two equal splits on 45 and 60 DAS recorded the highest seed cotton yield with highest BC ratio of 2.93 and was comparable with the recommended package.

·         The highest seed cotton yield of 2288 kg / ha was recorded in hand weeding twice and was comparable with prometryn at 1.5 kg a.i / ha.   Application of prometryn at 2.00 kg a.i / ha resulted in stand reduction of cotton and phytotoxicity.  Yield reduction to a tune of 35 per cent was noticed due to uncontrolled weed growth in cotton.

·         Seed treatment with imidacloprid 70 WS at 5 g /kg of seed with an array of intercrops (green gram), trap crops (castor and sunflower, catch crops (bhendi and red gram) and ecofeast crops (maize and cowpea) played a significant role in reducing the pest load in cotton by acting as reservoir of natural enemy population and their augmentation. Timely use of yellow sticky traps, pheromone traps and biocontrol agents also helped in minimizing pest incidence. The above ASIPM (Adoptable Srivilliputtur IPM module) resulted in a cost benefit ratio of 1:2.94 as against 1:1.42 in farmer’s practice. 

VARIETIES RELEASED

5.  Contact Address :  Professor and Head,

                                  Cotton Research Station,

                                  Tamil Nadu Agricultural University,

                                  Srivilliputtur – 626 125

                                  Tamil Nadu

                                  Phone : (04563) 260736