Molecular Soil Biology 2025, Vol.16, No.1, 27-36 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/msb 27 Case Study Open Access High-Yield Cotton Cultivation Practices in Arid Regions Jinhua Cheng1, JinZhang2 1 Institute of Life Science, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, China; 2 Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China Corresponding email: jin.zhang@hitar.org Molecular Soil Biology, 2025, Vol.16, No.1 doi: 10.5376/msb.2025.16.0003 Received: 10 Dec, 2024 Accepted: 11 Jan., 2025 Published: 28 Jan., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Cheng and Zhang, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Cheng J.H., and Zhang J., 2025, High-yield cotton cultivation practices in arid regions, Molecular Soil Biology, 16(1): 27-36 (doi: 10.5376/msb.2025.16.0003) Abstract This study focused on cotton cultivation in arid regions and analyzed the key factors influencing high cotton yield and water use efficiency. Results showed significant differences in yield and drought resistance between irrigated and non-irrigated cotton varieties. Among them, ‘Tamcot CD3H’ and ‘TX-CABUCS-2-1-83’ maintained high yields even without irrigation, demonstrating good drought tolerance. Moderately reducing irrigation (controlling to 80% of field capacity) can conserve water and improve water use efficiency while maintaining yield. Controlling irrigation timing and water temperature is also crucial, with irrigation at night and water temperatures maintained between 25 ℃ and 28 ℃. Using treated wastewater for irrigation in arid regions has not only increased cotton yields but also reduced reliance on chemical fertilizers and lowered costs. Adopting partial root zone dry irrigation and mulching has reduced water use while also improving yield and quality. This study proposes a series of effective practices for cotton cultivation in arid regions and introduces several promising technologies and regulatory measures. Keywords High-yield cotton; Water use efficiency; Arid regions; Genetic variation; Under-irrigation; Wastewater irrigation; Partial root zone drought; Mulching technology 1 Introduction Cotton (Gossypiumspp.) is one of the most widely cultivated fiber crops in the world, playing a vital role in the agricultural economies of many countries. In arid regions, cotton is a primary source of income and employment for farmers. Compared to other crops, cotton is more adaptable to the environment and can grow stably in areas with challenging climatic conditions. In inland northwest my country, cotton cultivation covers a large area, making it a major national cotton production base and a significant influence on the global cotton market (Feng et al., 2017). The southern highlands of the United States are also exploring cotton cultivation models suitable for semi-arid conditions and are a key area for optimizing drought-resistant cotton cultivation techniques (Mauget et al., 2020). However, cotton planting in arid areas faces many problems. The first is water shortage. Although cotton has good stress resistance, its water demand is not low, so the shortage of water resources restricts the yield. In order to save water, drip irrigation and reclaimed water irrigation are widely used locally (De Araújo et al., 2022; Wu et al., 2023). In addition to water, extreme temperature and soil salinity are also prominent. High temperature will inhibit the growth and development of cotton and reduce the yield per unit area; However, high soil salinity will damage soil structure and affect nutrient absorption (Shareef et al., 2018; Iqbal et al., 2021). In recent years, climate change has made precipitation distribution more unstable, which poses a new challenge to agriculture in arid areas. Agricultural planting needs stronger stress resistance and more reasonable management mode (Li et al., 2021). This study focused on the cultivation methods of High-yield Cotton in arid areas, focused on exploring and evaluating a variety of water-saving management technologies, including irrigation timing, water temperature control and other measures, and analyzed their impact on cotton growth and yield. At the same time, the study will also cover the actual effects of cultivation methods, partial root zone drought treatment, and the use of reclaimed water irrigation and other strategies in different climate situations, providing specific and practical technical paths for cotton planting in arid areas, and solving the problems of water resources shortage, high temperature stress and saline alkali soil.
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