From June 11 to 13, 2026, scientists of the Sughd Experimental Station of Soil Science and Land Reclamation, together with a regional working group, visited the city of Konibodom and the Asht and Zafarobod districts. During the visit, they provided dehkan farms with recommendations on the proper fertilization of cotton, the prevention of the adverse effects of soil salinity on the growth and development of cotton and other agricultural crops, and the use of poultry manure extract through irrigation water during the growing season.
It was recommended that, in order to obtain the desired cotton yield, thinned cotton fields should receive nitrogen fertilizers at a rate of 200 kg/ha of urea. If phosphorus and potassium fertilizers were not applied before plowing, complex fertilizers such as ammophos at 150 kg/ha or nitroammophoska at 200 kg/ha should be used.
For fields at the budding stage, a second nitrogen fertilization with ammonium nitrate at a rate of 200 kg/ha was recommended. In addition, foliar feeding with N20P20K20 plus micronutrients should be applied in the early morning or after sunset, when the air temperature does not exceed 28°C.
For fields at the flowering stage, the use of poultry manure extract through irrigation water was recommended. Furthermore, foliar application of micronutrients (boron, calcium, zinc, iron, sulfur, etc.) at a rate of 5 kg/ha is necessary.
A third nitrogen fertilization with ammonium nitrate at a rate of 200 kg/ha at the beginning of boll formation, together with foliar fertilizers containing N16:P18:K40 plus micronutrients at a rate of 6 kg/ha, contributes to larger bolls, improved cotton fiber quality, and increased yields.
At present, on saline soils, cleaning and repairing collector-drainage systems around fields is essential for lowering the groundwater level. Under saline soil conditions, increasing irrigation rates by 1.5 times is recommended to prevent groundwater from contributing to overall evaporation.
In the future, salt-tolerant crop varieties are recommended for lands with poor reclamation conditions. The application of organic fertilizers at 40 t/ha mixed with 400 kg/ha of superphosphate before plowing also helps reduce soil salinity.
On stony soils, green manuring is recommended, which involves sowing crops capable of growing during the winter season, such as rapeseed, rye, clover, and others. This practice improves soil fertility by increasing humus and nutrient content and enhances soil physical properties, including water-holding capacity, porosity, and aeration.
It is necessary to establish close cooperation between scientists of the branches of the Tajik Academy of Agricultural Sciences in the Sughd Region and farmers in order to obtain scientifically based recommendations for crop cultivation.
Agrochemical soil analysis should be conducted once every five years to determine soil fertility levels, salinity status, and the precise annual fertilizer requirements.
Timely measures should be taken to protect cotton fields from pests such as the cotton bollworm and spider mites. For preventive purposes, powdered sulfur should be applied through cultivator equipment. Biological control methods should also be used, including the release of beneficial insects such as Trichogramma at a rate of 2 g/ha against bollworm eggs, green lacewings at 800 individuals per hectare, and the installation of pheromone traps.
The dehkan farms were informed that implementing the above-mentioned measures would enable them to achieve high yields of agricultural crops, including cotton.
