Effect of vermicompost-derived nitrogen on fibre quality traits, ginning percentage, and lint index in organic cotton cultivars

A field experiment was conducted during the Kharif season of 2020-21 at the Centre for Organic Agriculture Research and Training (COART), Department of agronomy, Dr. PDKV, Akola, to evaluate the impact of nitrogen application through vermicompost on the fibre quality attributes of cotton under organic cultivation. The study involved two nitrogen levels (40 and 60 kg N ha⁻¹) applied via vermicompost across different Gossypium hirsutum and G. arboreum cultivars in a factorial randomized block design. Significant variations were observed in staple length and fibre strength across treatments. The maximum staple length (28.74 mm) and highest fibre strength (32.17 g tex⁻¹) were recorded in G. hirsutum cultivars receiving 60 kg N ha⁻¹, indicating superior response to organic nitrogen. Micronaire values (4.14-4.24 µg inch⁻¹), uniformity ratio (82.33-84.35%), elongation percentage (5.78-6.12%), ginning percentage (34.0-38.1%), and lint index (2.41-3.44 g) showed minimal to no statistically significant variation among treatments. The results underscore the genotypic influence of G. hirsutum over G. arboreum in fibre quality traits and highlight the potential of vermicompost as an effective organic nitrogen source for enhancing cotton fibre parameters, particularly staple length and fibre strength, under sustainable production systems.