Comparative Anatomical and Ginning Characteristics of Two Upland Cotton Cultivars1

Abstract

AbstractA large amount of vegetable trash including stems and bracts is collected along with burcotton during stripper harvesting. A substantial amount of this trash is then pulverized during cleaning, both at the gin and at the textile mill, and emitted into the air as microscopic dust. The objective of this study was to determine if variation in bract and pedicel structure occurred in Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars which differed quantitatively in the amount of trash contained in harvested burcotton after machine stripping. Tests in 1972 and 1973 showed that ‘Tamcot SP 21’ had lower levels of sticks and stems and fine trash in machine stripped burcotton and a lower nonlint content in the lint after ginning than ‘Dunn 119’. Anatomical analysis in 1973 revealed significant differences between the same cultivars in the amount of vascular tissue in the pedicel and bract.