A review of cotton diseases and their management

Abstract

Cotton is one of the most important crops in Iran. The importance of cotton in creating employment is such that by creating one job in cotton cultivation, five jobs can be created in related industries. However, the cultivated area of ​​this product, which was 320,000 hectares in the mid-seventies, has reached 90,000 hectares in the 2018-2018 crop year. In fact, the area under cotton cultivation, which accounted for 40% of industrial products, is now less than 13%. Currently, Iran is an importer of cotton, and in 2017, 142 million dollars were spent on importing this product, which is a large figure for the country considering the currency restrictions and problems caused by sanctions. The combination of these factors has forced the Ministry of Agricultural Jihad to put the plan of self-sufficiency in cotton production until 1404 on its agenda. Considering the non-fulfillment of the goals of this plan in the last three years, it is necessary to identify and analyze the variables affecting this policy. Cotton diseases are one of the important factors of crop reduction, and their management is the solution to this problem. In this article, some important diseases of cotton and its management strategies in Iran have been described.