RESPONSE OF COTTON (GOSSYPIUM HIRSUTUM L.) CULTIVARS TO DIFFERENT LEVELS OF NITROGEN

Abstract

Response of different cultivars of cotton namely CIM-499, CIM-511 and CIM-707 to varying levels of nitrogen viz 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg ha-1 was studied at Agronomic Research Area, Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI), Multan. Different nitrogen levels significantly influenced yield and yield components of cotton. Application of N @ 150 and 200 kg ha-1 produced the highest number of bolls plant-1, maximum average boll weight, maximum number of seeds boll-1 and seed cotton yield as compared to the other nitrogen rates. Cultivar CIM-499 proved best for producing the highest number of seeds boll-1, seed cotton yield and fiber characteristics i.e. fiber strength, staple length and uniformity index as compared to other cultivars.