RESUMO
Cotton is one of the most important crops in the world. With the increasing scarce of global water resources, irrigation water will become a major limiting factor in cotton production. Deficit irrigation is an irrigation method which consumes less water than the normal evapotranspiration of crops. It is an effective water-saving method due to improved water use efficiency without sacrificing cotton yield and fiber quality. We summarized the effects of deficit irrigation on the growth and water use efficiency of cotton. The results showed that deficit irrigation promoted the transformation from vegetative growth to reproductive growth, reduced plant height, leaf area, and total biomass of cotton, and subsequently improved the harvest index, stem diameter and water use efficiency. Finally, based on the current research and combined with cotton production reality, the application and future development of deficit irrigation were proposed, which might provide theoretical guidance for the sustainable development of cotton plantation in arid areas.
