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Harvest-aid defoliants have been introduced to facilitate mechanical harvesting in cotton. Defoliants are chemicals that either impact plant hormonal activity related to leaf loss or cause direct injury to leaves, both at a level that promotes leaf drop and often represents the final step in the production of a cotton crop. Defoliants normally produce ethylene, which is a ripening hormone and causes leaf drop and bolls to crack open and fluff out. Secondly, it leads to clean and efficient picking as the pigments in the leaves can stain and reduce the quality of fibre. Therefore, in agronomic point of view chemical defoliation in cotton can be included as one of the package of practice in cotton production to reap high net returns.
About the author
Mrunalini K has excellent meritorious academic record, graduated from Professor Jaysankar Telangana State Agricultural University in 2015 and completed her Post Graduation (ICAR- JRF) in 2017 from ANGRAU at Agricultural College, Bapatla. She has been to Wageningen UR, THE NETHERLANDS, for an Student Training programme on Adaptive water management.
