Netafim and Instituto Matogrossense do Algodão record an increase in productivity of cotton irrigated by underground drip

The municipality of Sapezal, which is in the State of Mato Grosso, ranks first in the national ranking when it comes to cotton production. The good precipitation regime in the region, fertile soil and flat topography are some factors that enable high productivity rates in the soybean and second-crop cotton production system.

But the question is this: are we still close to maximum productive potential even with so many ideal conditions or do we still have room to evolve through tools that increase productivity? Below we have a history of productivity data from the municipality of Sapezal and what can be observed in a 20-year analysis is that, even though the conditions are good for cotton cultivation, the average productivity is relatively low compared to irrigated cultivation. While in dryland the average is around 300 to 330 @/ha seed cotton, in irrigated and drip-fertigated areas, it is common to reach average yields above 450 @/ha.

With this in mind, Netafim, in partnership with the Instituto Matogrossense do Algodão, implemented an underground dripping project at the Sapezal-MT unit, with the aim of enhancing the soy/cotton production system, and the results obtained so far are very impressive. , highlighting cotton cultivation with a significant increase in productivity.

Through the system, often activated only to carry out fertigation due to regular rainfall during the development of the crop, an average of 136@/ha of seed cotton or 51,68@/ha of lint cotton was increased (considering a yield of 39%), which corresponds on average to approximately R$ 10.000,00/ha of increased revenue only with second-crop cotton, compared to dryland cotton.  

One of the great differences of the underground drip irrigation system in cotton is the possibility of providing nutrition in a more divided and proportional way according to the phases of the crop. The system allows us to provide water and nutrition to improve the development and fruiting of the plant's pointer, a time when rainfall is generally scarce and there is no possibility of providing a nutritional supplement in a conventional way. Furthermore, underground drip irrigation does not wet the bolls that are already open at the bottom of the plant, damaging the quality of the cotton. The sum of these factors provides the farmer with increased productivity, rapid return on investment and profitability.