Effect of Different Planting Dates and Methods on Quantity and Quality Traits of Varamin Cotton Cultivar

In the case of delayed planting of cotton, using cotton plantlets may lead to a better acquisition of light and water throughout the plant growth and hence an enhanced plant growth and yield. Therefore, in order to evaluate the effect of transplanting method on cotton quantitative and qualitative traits, a 2-year field research was carried out using a split plot design experiment with different planting dates as main plot and two planting methods (planting 30 days old plantlet and seed sowing) as subplot based on randomized complete block design with four replications at Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Station of Kashmar, east of Iran during 2009 and 2011. All traits except yield were decreased significantly with a delayed planting in the first year and transplanting method led to a non-significant increase (9 percent) in yield, compared to seed sowing. A delayed planting reduced mean yield (35.6 percent) and its components significantly in the second year. Planting of 30-days old cotton plantlets increased the yield (33.9 percent) significantly. The amount of reduction in yield due to delay of planting was lower in transplanting method compared to the seed sowing method. Fiber quality attributes were decreased in a delayed planting, except fiber length. Nevertheless, planting of cotton by transplanting method improved the fiber quality attributes in late planting dates.