Effect of Sowing Dates and Genotypes on Yield and Yield Contributing Traits of Upland Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.).

Cotton is an important cash crop that generates a large amount of revenue in Pakistan. Cotton production was decreased due to climate change, biotic and abiotic factors, unpredictable rain patterns, high temperatures. Therefore, it needs to identify cultivars with suitable sowing time in a specific environment. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the yield potential of different cotton genotypes under different sowing dates (early to late). In 2019 and 2020, a field experiment was conducted at Cotton Research Station, Sahiwal, Pakistan. The experiment was conducted using a split-plot arrangement in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The main plot comprised six sowing dates with an interval of 15 days starting from 16th March, and the subplot consisted of four varieties: SLH-8, FH-Lalazar, CIM-622 and FH-142.It was observed that maximum seed cotton yield was recorded for sowing date 16^th March during both years, i.e., 2019 (1583.63 kgha^-1) and 2020 (1741.96 kgha^-1). SLH-8 was the best performing variety among all studied genotypes for plant height, boll weight, and seed cotton yield. The mean seed cotton yield during both years ranged 1434.58 to 1983.77 kg ha^-1. Maximum seed cotton yield during both years was showed by SLH-8 that was 1726.82 and 2240.71 kg ha^-1. Correlation analysis showed that seed cotton yield was positively correlated with the boll weight (0.738**) and number of bolls per plant (0.53**). Sowing dates in March, April, and May were grouped together in cluster no. 2, whereas sowing dates in June were grouped together in group 1. This study helps to optimize the sowing date to meet the climate changes and enhance the seed cotton yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]