Abstract

Field investigations were carried out during winter irrigated season of 2018 at Department of Cotton, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. The experiment was laid out in split plot design and replicated thrice. Treatments comprised three crop geometries viz., 75 × 10 cm (M1), 75 × 20 cm (M2) and 75 × 30 cm (M3) and seven sub-plots with foliar application of different growth retardants along with one control viz., Cycocel 400 ppm (S1), Cycocel 500 ppm (S2), Mepiquat chloride 100 ppm (S3), Mepiquat chloride 200 ppm (S4), Maleic hydrazide 400 ppm (S5), Maleic hydrazide 500 ppm (S6) and control (No spray) (S7). Crop was sown in raised bed with inclined plate planter and the major cultivation practices were carried out with machines. The machineries used for cotton cultivation were inclined plate planter for sowing, boom sprayer for pre-emergence herbicide application, power weeder for weeding, drip irrigation system for irrigation and fertigation, whereas harvesting was done manually. Cotton cultivated under 75 × 10 cm spacing recorded higher input energy and higher output energy than the wider spacing.