Double-row footing and ridge drainage in cotton

The paired-row, furrow-irrigated raised-bed (FIRB) configuration is a soil and water management layout in which two adjacent cotton rows are planted on a raised bed, with a drainage furrow between bed pairs. It is promoted by ICAR and FAO as a moisture-management practice for kharif row crops including cotton, maize, soybean and wheat.

Principle

A raised bed elevates the crown root zone above standing rainwater, while the inter-bed furrow simultaneously serves as a drainage and irrigation channel. The geometry improves aeration in the wet monsoon, accelerates drainage of excess rainfall and limits waterlogging-induced boll rot. On saline or sodic soils the furrow also leaches salts away from the active root zone.

Implementation

Beds are typically formed with a tractor-mounted bed-former at the time of land preparation. Two cotton rows are sown along the top of each bed, with a furrow between successive bed pairs that can be used both for excess drainage and for supplemental furrow irrigation when needed. Spacing combinations follow conventional or high-density layouts (see Cotton Spacing Row Options, High Density Planting System Cotton).

Adoption context

Field studies on cotton under ridge-furrow versus flat planting report roughly 12% higher root-zone moisture and 14-18% lower root-zone electrical conductivity, with corresponding gains in yield and water-use efficiency. The configuration is recommended on Vertisols of central and southern India where monsoonal waterlogging is a recurrent stress and on lighter saline soils where leaching is desirable.

Limitations

Initial bed formation requires appropriate implements and adds a land-preparation pass relative to flat sowing. On steep slopes or in heavy-rainfall pockets, furrow erosion can be a concern unless beds are aligned across the slope.

References

FIRB / raised-bed planting. Krishisewa (ICAR extension).
Impacts of Ridge-Furrow Planting on Salt Stress and Cotton Yield. MDPI Water.