The Effect of Cotton Grade, Variety, and Growing Location on the Dust Generated in a Model Card Room

Abstract

The influence of cotton grade, growing location, and genetic variety on the amount of cotton dust generated while processing cotton in a model card room has been examined. Even though data collected from 140 bales were considered, an analysis of variance based on a standard linear additive model could not be made because the samples available were unbalanced with respect to the inde pendent variables. The data were therefore evaluated by determining whether any deviations in the amount of dust emitted by individual bales from that of the average measured on all bales of the same grade of cotton could be attributed to growing location and/or variety. In general, the results suggest that cottons grown in the eastern U. S. A. produce somewhat less dust in the card room for a given grade of cotton than the U. S. A. average; and cottons grown in the arid areas of the west, somewhat more than average. Quantitatively, deviations from the U. S. A. average ranged from -146 to +145 μg/m3, a spread that is almost inconsequential when compared with the 3.5 times greater range observed among bales of a single grade of cotton grown in a single state. Variety effects were even smaller than state effects. Many factors other than growing location and variety were observed to have large effects on the measured dust concentrations.