Effect of Canopy Manipulation and Intercropping on Growth and Yield of Bt Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)
Dilip Choudhary *
Department of Agronomy, SKRAU, Bikaner, India.
A. S. Godara
Department of Agronomy, SKRAU, Bikaner, India.
S. P. Singh
Department of Agronomy, SKRAU, Bikaner, India.
Bhupender Singh
Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, SKRAU, Bikaner, India.
Ranjeet Singh
Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, SKRAU, Bikaner, India.
B. D. S. Nathawat
Department of Plant Pathology, SKRAU, Bikaner, India.
Avtar Singh
Department of Agronomy, SKRAU, Bikaner, India.
Jigyasa Ninama
Department of Agronomy, SKRAU, Bikaner, India.
Kiran Dhaka
Department of Agronomy, SKRAU, Bikaner, India.
Rahul Yadav
Department of Agronomy, Agriculture University, Jodhpur, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: High-density planting can alter cotton canopy development, and crop performance may also respond to canopy regulation and intercropping.
Objective: This study assessed the effects of canopy manipulation and legume intercropping on the growth and yield of Bt cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) under the arid conditions of Bikaner, Rajasthan.
Methods: A field experiment was conducted during the kharif seasons of 2024 and 2025 at the College of Agriculture, S.K. Rajasthan Agricultural University. Nine canopy manipulation treatments, comprising three spacings with or without de-topping or mepiquat chloride application, were combined with three cropping treatments (sole cotton, cotton–mungbean and cotton–clusterbean) in a factorial randomised block design with three replications. Mepiquat chloride was applied twice at 25 ppm on 45 and 60 days after sowing.
Results: Based on pooled results, cotton at 90 × 15 cm spacing with two mepiquat chloride sprays produced the highest seed cotton yield (2,231 kg ha⁻¹) and stalk yield (6,877 kg ha⁻¹). Corresponding yields under 90 × 15 cm spacing with de-topping at 100 cm were 2,176 and 6,722 kg ha⁻¹, respectively; these treatments were statistically comparable. Intercropping had no significant effect on cotton plant population, seed cotton yield or stalk yield. Sole cotton produced the highest pooled seed cotton yield (2,104 kg ha⁻¹) among cropping treatments.
Conclusion: Plant spacing and canopy management influenced cotton yield under the study conditions, whereas intercropping did not significantly affect cotton yield.
Keywords: Bt cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., high-density planting, canopy manipulation, de-topping, mepiquat chloride, cotton–mungbean intercropping, cotton–clusterbean intercropping, seed cotton yield, stalk yield