RESEARCHERS INSIST NEW COTTON PLANTING TECHNOLOGY TO BOOST YIELDS
- 20th June, 2024 13:00
- By DAUSON.MALELA
- News
Cotton
farmers in Morogoro Region have been urged to adhere to cotton planting
guidelines to increase yields and their income. The call has been made by
National Coordinator for Cotton and Director of Ukiriguru research Centre, Dr
Paul Saidia in his visit along with TARI researchers to Ulanga and Mvomero
Districts, aimed at inspecting the progress of demonstration farms used for
teaching the technology of cotton farming.
He
stated that the new planting method (60 centimeters by 30 centimeters)
increases the number of plants in the field to 44,444 per acre, compared to the
old method which 90 centimeters by 30 centimeters, resulted in not more than
15,000 plants. “In this planting method, a farmer can harvest from 1,400
kilograms and above per acre”. He noted. He said a farmer will also have to
maintain manual trimming of stem apex at 70th day after sowing and lateral
branches between 90th up to 100th day from the date of sowing. This is to
ensure healthy cotton balls.
On
his part, a researcher on the Cotton Victoria project and Acting Coordinator of
the Department of Technology Transfer and Cooperation, Dr Abdullah Mkiga,
expressed the need for reducing the spraying speed when applying pesticides to
ensure effectiveness, since the new planting method increases the number of
plants in the field.
The
visit, which began in Singida and Dodoma Regions and Morogoro, aimed to assess
areas where a farmer’s field day will be held to further disseminate cotton
farming technologies, specifically the new planting method.