Agronomic Strategies for Sustainable Cotton Production: A Systematic Literature Review

Giuseppe Salvatore Vitale, Aurelio Scavo, Silvia Zingale, Teresa Tuttolomondo, Carmelo Santonoceto, Gaetano Pandino, Sara Lombardo (), Umberto Anastasi and Paolo Guarnaccia
Additional contact information
Giuseppe Salvatore Vitale: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Aurelio Scavo: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
Silvia Zingale: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Teresa Tuttolomondo: Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Carmelo Santonoceto: Department of Agraria, Università degli Studi Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, 89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy
Gaetano Pandino: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Sara Lombardo: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Umberto Anastasi: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Paolo Guarnaccia: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-20

Abstract: Cotton, with a cultivated area of 31.92 × 10 6 ha −1 across 80 countries and an estimated annual turnover of USD 5.68 billion, is the world’s leading natural textile fiber. However, many cotton-producing countries have neglected to improve production practices, adversely affecting the environment and society. A systematic review of the sustainable cotton cultivation literature was performed for the first time to identify and suggest context-specific agricultural strategies that can be applied within different agroecosystems. The key aspects include (1) inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal species such as Gigaspora margarita , Funneliformis mosseae , and Acaulospora scrobiculata to enhance root exploration, biomass, and nutrient uptake; (2) using grass, legume, and brassica cover crops as a valid alternative to monoculture and fallow crop rotations to reduce resource depletion and increase the sustainability of cotton production; (3) adopting drip and mulched drip irrigation systems over traditional furrow and sprinkler systems for water conservation; (4) exploring the feasibility of prematurely terminating irrigation in humid subtropical and Mediterranean climates as an alternative to chemical defoliation without affecting cotton yield. This paper, which describes various farming practices adopted in different climates, provides farmers a guide for eco-friendly cotton agronomic management without sacrificing productivity.

Keywords: sustainable cotton; agronomic strategies; crop rotation; mycorrhizal species; water conservation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/9/1597/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/9/1597/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:14:y:2024:i:9:p:1597-:d:1477600

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().