Effect of fruiting branch removal on Bt cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) under different N and K doses

A field experiment was conducted to check the effect of fruiting branch removal in Bt cotton cultivar IR- 3701 under different combinations of nitrogen and potassium. The experiment was conducted at Agronomic Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, during 2015. The crop was sown on beds on May 22, 2015 using seed rate of 20 kg per ha. The experiment was carried out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with factorial arrangement having three replications with net plot size of 4.5 m x 3.0 m. Each plot consisted of 4 rows having row to row distance of 75cm and plant to plant distance of 30cm.The experiment was comprised of T0 (control/no fruiting branch removal) and T1 (removal of two early fruiting branches) with three levels of nitrogen i.e. N1: 175, N2: 225 and N3: 275 kg per ha, and three levels of potassium i.e. K1:50, K2:100 and K3: 150 kg per ha. The standard procedure was adopted for recording data on various parameters. The data collected were analyzed by using Fisher's analysis of variance technique and treatments means were compared by using Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) test at 5% level of probability. Number of days from sowing to appearance of first flower, total number of bolls, boll maturation period, number of unopened bolls and height of plant at last pick were affected by the removal of fruiting branches but not by N-K doses. Number of nodes up to first fruiting branch, earliness index, average boll weight, number of opened boll, number of monopodial branches, number of sympodial branches seed cotton yield per plant, seed cotton yield (kg per ha), fiber length and ginning out turn (GOT) were affected by both fruiting branch removal and N-K doses. Plant height of cotton at squaring, plant height at appearance of first floral bud, fiber elongation, fiber fineness, fiber strength and fiber uniformity were affected by N-K doses only. Fruiting branch removal and N-K doses showed no effect on number of days from planting to appearance of first floral bud and seed index.