Cotton: Cotton has been called 'the universal fiber'. It is the most important of all the fibers. It forms the basis of the cotton textile industry. Cotton is the leading fiber crop of India. It is known from the writings of Herodotus that cotton has been in use in India since 3000 B.C.
Geographical conditions of growth:
(i) Temperature: Cotton needs a uniformly high summer temperature between 22°C to 32°C. It requires a warm climate with bright sunshine. Frost is harmful to cotton plants.
(ii) Rainfall: Cotton needs light to moderate rainfall between 50 to 100 cms.
(iii) Irrigation: In arid areas, irrigation is used. It increases the yield per hectare as in Punjab.
(iv) Soils: Cotton grows best on rich, well drained loamy soils or lava soils.
Types of Cotton:
(i) The long staple cotton: This cotton has a length 25 mm and above.
(ii) The medium staple cotton: This cotton has a staple length between 18 mm to 25 mm.
(iii) Short staple cotton: This cotton has a fiber length less than 18 mm.
Areas of cultivation:
Southern India produces more cotton than northern India. Gujarat is the leading producer of cotton in India with a production of 25% of the total production in the country.
(i) Black cotton soil region: This is the chief cotton growing area of India on the lava soil of N.W. Deccan Plateau. Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are the major cotton producing states.
(ii) Red soil region: Medium staple cotton is grown in the red soil areas including the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The yield is low.
(iii) Alluvial soil region: Long staple cotton is grown on the alluvial soils of Northern Plains. The states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan are the important producers. Punjab has the highest yield per hectare due to warm climate, fertile soils and facilities of irrigation.
