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Dubai: This expat proves that cotton can be grown in 'abundance' in UAE

He knew cotton seeds needed to be grown at 15-25 degrees Celsius, and he didn't have a temperature-controlled room for the project — but then he thought, why not try?

Published: Fri 4 Nov 2022, 5:24 PM

Updated: Sat 5 Nov 2022, 11:48 AM

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Considering the arid conditions and the desert heat in the UAE, horticulturist Harish Gowda didn't have high hopes when he tried planting cotton seeds in his nursery at the flower market in Warsan, Dubai.

But his recent harvest of 250g of fluffy cotton convinced him that, indeed, nothing is impossible in this land.

He knew cotton seeds needed to be grown at 15-25 degrees Celsius, and he didn't have a temperature-controlled room for such a project. But then he thought — why not try? After all, it wouldn't be the first time he has grown a plant that doesn't usually thrive in the desert's extreme heat.

"It was just an experiment, and I was not really sure about it," said the expat who came to the UAE a few years ago. Since then, he has been working on growing plants that suit the country's climate.

Gowda got the cotton seeds from a fellow horticulture enthusiast and put them in a pot.

To his surprise, they started sprouting. "I could see imbibition, that is when the seed takes in water from the soil. But still, it was doubtful,” he said.

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Then, the shoots kept on growing, as if reaching for the sunlight in the sky. “When the shoots reached the ground, leaves formed, allowing the plant to harvest energy from the sun,” said Gowda, owner of Sunscape Gardening.

Since he didn't have a temperature-controlled room, he filled the soil with organic fertilisers and made sure his cotton plants are watered properly.

“After five weeks, the plant started to branch out, and during the ninth week, we noticed the first squares,” Gowda said.

Squares are the flower bud that first appears on the plant when reproductive growth begins. “At every stage, we were not only surprised, but we were quite anxious about what will happen next."

When the creamy white flower pollinated, the workers at the nursery noticed the flower turning pink.

“That was the point we realised, we were very close to getting cotton. The plants started producing a ball, and that’s known as the cotton boll," the expat said.

After four months, it was harvest time. They cracked the fluffy boll — and just, like that, they got their first cotton.

With the success of the experiment, Gowda can now prove that cotton could be produced in the UAE's climate — even without a greenhouse.

“I have also seen cotton plants grow in my client’s house, but with proper care and maintenance, cotton can be grown in abundance,” added the expat, who also maintains gardens and lawns.

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