EFFECT OF FOLIAR METHANOL APPLICATIONS ON EGYPTIAN COTTON PLANTS

Recent reports indicated that foliar Methanol application enhanc‌es vegetative growth and yield of C3 crops and reduces overall crop wa‌ter use. It has been suggested that methanol may act as a C source for the plant and a photorespiration inhibitor. Two field experiments were conducted at CIBA GIEGY Experiment station, Qaha region (Kalyubia Governorate) during the 1996 season, to evaluate the effect of foliar methanol application on growth and yield of cotton plants. The first experiment was cultivated after fallow while the second was cultivated after Berseem crop. 10, 20 and 30% Methanol solutions were applied to cotton plants grown under both normal irriga‌tion and under water stress during flowering period. Methanol application did not show phytotoxic symptoms at any of the given concentrations. The treatments of Methanol increased sig‌nificantly plant height, leaf area, dry weight of growth parts, shoot/root ratio and number of bolls par plant. There was no significant effect on the number of : leaves on the main stem, internodes, fruiting branches total squares and bolls, and also no significant effect of Methanol on boll weight, lint percentage or earliness of yield. Methanol increased significantly the seed index and seed Cotton yield per plant and per feddan.