Export quality surgical cotton from NE India

Abstract

Pesticide free premium quality surgical cotton with a competitive price advantage is available in the north eastern states dominating with Meghalaya, Assam, Mizoram, Tripura, in Jhum cultivation (Gossypium arboreum cernum) and north coastal Andhra Pradesh states, India (G. arboreum indicum) which are the natural home. G. arboreum Cvars LD 230 and RG-8 will be useful to grow commercially in north eastern India under slash and burn system. In north coastal Andhra Pradesh ground nut/ green gram mixed cropping or sequential cropping with chilles with G. arboreum indicum requires adequate manuring (sheep penning, FYM) and topdressing of N: K 2 O fertilizers 29:38 kg ha-1 besides sheep pennings as topdressing with September rains for both seed and Ratoon crop. Grey mildew is a serious problem in ratooning which needs protective spray of Copper fungicides with September rains. Surgical cotton processing centres can encourage commercial production under contract farming in north eastern India and north coastal Andhra Pradesh which can give a profitable returns of US$ 1000 ha-1 .

K 12 (TKA 9102/3) - A high yielding superior medium staple Gossypium arboreum cotton variety suited for rainfed vertisol tracts of Tamil Nadu

“…The Karunganni cotton area has reduced to a great extent and might be due to low price for the short to medium staple and non -availability of seeds. But the Desi cotton has great demand in India particularly in making fabrics like denim, bandage and upholstery and this requirement was fulfilled by importing 8-10 lakh bales of lint from Pakistan and Bangladesh (Ravinder Raju et al 2015). Hence, it is necessary to develop a superior quality Karunganni cotton to fulfill the requirements of rainfed vertisol tracts of Tamil Nadu.…”