During this period the seeds and their attached hairs develop within the boll, which increases considerably in size.

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. PlantVillage is an open access public resource at Penn State that aims to help smallholder farmers grow more The fibers we associate as "cotton" are actually a matrix of singular, long epidermal cells that are attached to the seed coat.

All Rights Reserved. Water-soaked spots on leaves which are delimited by leaf veins, giving them an angular appearance; lesions increase in size and turn black and necrotic; leaves drop from the plant; disease may also cause elongated gray-black lesions extending from the leaves to petioles and stem which are known as the "blackarm" phase; severe blackarm symptoms may cause the stem to be girdled; water-soaked lesions may be present on bolls; boll lesions enlarge and become sunken and brown-black in color. Cotton fibres may be classified roughly into three large groups, based on staple length (average length of the fibres making up a sample or bale of cotton) and appearance. Controls and quarantines of affected areas have helped limit the spread of the insect, and eradication has been possible in a few relatively small areas with sufficiently strict controls. This honeydew also attarcts ants which then protect the aphids from natural enemies and even move aphids to other parts of the plants and even other plants. In a tropical setting or greenhouse where the cotton plant continues to grow year round, flowering is possible at any time of year. is native to both tropical areas of the New and Old World, and the color and quality of cotton fibers varies per each species. Although cotton can be grown between latitudes 30° N and 30° S, yield and fibre quality are considerably influenced by climatic conditions, and best qualities are obtained with high moisture levels resulting from rainfall or irrigation during the growing season and a dry, warm season during the picking period.

A picker (picking machine) then wraps the fibres into a lap. G. hirsutum accounts for approximately 90% of world wide cotton production today. Vice President, Research, Textile Research Institute, Princeton, New Jersey. An individual blossom comprises around 100 pollen-carrying stamens around a female pistil organ.

Small soft bodied insects on underside of leaves and/or stems of plant; usually green or yellow in color, but may be pink, brown, red or black depending on species and host plant; if aphid infestation is heavy it may cause leaves to yellow and/or distorted, necrotic spots on leaves and/or stunted shoots; aphids secrete a sticky, sugary substance called honeydew which encourages the growth of sooty mold on the plants. Cotton plants' leaves look like hearts with pointed lobes. As a perennial, upland cotton will become a large shrub-like herb anywhere from 6 to 12 feet tall and equally as... Foliage. The symptoms are mainly seen in the lower canopy. "Economic Botany: Plants in Our World, 2nd Ed. Holes chewed in bases of bolls and insect frass around holes;oung caterpillars are cream-white in color with a black head and black hairs; older larvae may be yellow-green to almost black in color with fine white lines along their body and black spots at the base of hairs; eggs are laid singly on both upper and lower leaf surfaces and are initially creamy white but develop a brown-red ring after 24 hours and darken prior to hatching. Handpicking also produces considerably cleaner cotton; mechanical harvesters pick the bolls by suction, accumulating loose material, dust, and dirt, and cannot distinguish between good and discoloured cotton. Under natural conditions, the cotton bolls will increase the dispersal of the seeds. Cotton, one of the world’s leading agricultural crops, is plentiful and economically produced, making cotton products relatively inexpensive.

Some varieties have been bred that are resistant to a bacterial disease called angular leaf spot. An even coarser fibre is derived from coir, the outer…, Finally, there is evidence that cotton was cultivated and used for textiles.…. origins of agriculture: Mechanized equipment for cotton. Insects outbreak favored by a cool, wet spring following a mild winter; cutworms have a wide host range and attack vegetables including asparagus, bean, cabbage and other crucifers, carrot, celery, corn, lettuce, pea, pepper, potato and tomato. Cotton is the collective name given to four species of plants in the genus Gossypium, Gossypium hirsutum, Gossypium barbadense, Gossypium arboreum and Gossypium herbaceum which are perennial shrubs in the family Malvaceae grown for the fluffy fiber which protects the seeds of the plant. Braconid wasp parasitizing beet armyworm larva. Cotton is the world’s biggest non-food crop and makes half of the world’s textiles, explosives, oil, cattle food, toothpaste. As a perennial, upland cotton will become a large shrub-like herb anywhere from 6 to 12 feet tall and equally as wide at maturity. Several early instar beet armyworm larvae feeding in the under side of a cotton leaf. Jewish Women's Archive - Biography of Anne Frank, Web Gallery of Art - Biography of Antonio Canova, The New Georgia Encyclopedia - Business and Economy - Cotton, JewishEncyclopedia.com - Biography of Georg Brandes, cotton - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), cotton - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up).

Because young seedlings are especially sensitive to attack by a complex of disease organisms, treatment of seeds before planting is common. Adult insect is a pale green to tan, medium sized moth; insect is also very damaging pests of corn; insect overwinters as pupae in the soil. Discoloration of vascular tissue caused by Fusarium wilt. The fertilized blossoms fall off after a few days and are replaced by small green triangular pods, called bolls, that mature after a period of 55–80 days. Conventional cotton production requires more insecticides than any other major crop, and the production of organic cotton, which relies on nonsynthetic insecticides, has been increasing in many places worldwide. The fibres are composed of about 87 to 90 percent cellulose (a carbohydrate plant substance), 5 to 8 percent water, and 4 to 6 percent natural impurities. Blends (composites) are made during yarn processing by joining drawn cotton with other staple fibres, such as polyester or casein. Vegetative branches support foliage. Chemical insecticides, which were first introduced in the early 1900s, require careful and selective use because of ecological considerations but appear to be the most effective and efficient means of control. The symptoms can be found on leaves, boll bracts and on bolls. Cotton, seed-hair fiber of several species of plants of the genus Gossypium, belonging to the hibiscus, or mallow, family. Soil fumigation moderately succeeded in combatting such fungus diseases as fusarium wilt, verticillium wilt, and Texas root rot, which are restricted to certain conditions of soil, rainfall, and general climate. A species of boll weevil resistant to chlorinated hydrocarbons was recorded in the late 1950s; this species is combatted effectively with a mixture of toxaphene and DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), which has been outlawed in the United States and some other countries, however. If not harvested, weather will eventually cause the fibers to scatter in the wind, dispersing seeds for later germination across the landscape. Disease emergence is favored by warm temperatures; fungus may be introduced to field through infected seed or by contaminated equipment and human movement. When ripe, the boll bursts into a white, fluffy ball containing three to five cells, each having 7 to 10 seeds embedded in a mass of seed fibres. In the drawing (drafting) stage, a series of variable-speed rollers attenuates and reduces the sliver to firm uniform strands of usable size. Ginned cotton is shipped in bales to a textile mill for yarn manufacturing. A biological control agent, nuclear polyhedrosis virus, killed the beet armyworm at top. It is generally a shrubby plant having broad three-lobed leaves and seeds in capsules, or bolls; each seed is surrounded with … The pathogen also infects cucumber, sweet potato, soybean and tomato. Please consider donating LINK Cotton is attacked by several hundred species of insects, including such harmful species as the boll weevil, pink bollworm, cotton leafworm, cotton fleahopper, cotton aphid, rapid plant bug, conchuela, southern green stinkbug, spider mites (red spiders), grasshoppers, thrips, and tarnished plant bugs. Equipment includes tractor, two-row stalk-cutter, disk (to shred the stalks), bedder (to shape the soil into ridges or seedbeds), planter, cultivator, sprayer, and harvester. Typically the infected leaves retain their green color or green yellow color.

Cotton, seed-hair fibre of several species of plants of the genus Gossypium, belonging to the hibiscus, or mallow, family (Malvaceae). Get kids back-to-school ready with Expedition: Learn! It will cause severe loss if pathogen infect at flowering stage. Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus Gossypium in the mallow family Malvaceae. Medium to deep green in color, there are three to... Branching Structure. The procedure for weaving cotton yarn into fabric is similar to that for other fibres. Small, circular brown lesions on cotyledons and seedling leaves which expand and develop a concentric pattern; necrotic areas coalesce and often have a purple margin; centers of lesions may dry out and drop form the plant creating a "shot-hole" appearance on the leaves. Stems of young seedlings may be severed at soil line; larvae causing the damage are usually active at night and hide during the day in the soil at the base of the plants or in plant debris of toppled plant; larvae are 2.5–5.0 cm (1–2 in) in length; larvae may exhibit a variety of patterns and coloration but will usually curl up into a C-shape when disturbed. Cotton is the basis of the modern textile industry, and the seeds produce an edible oil widely used in processed foods. Rotor spinning machines at a coarse cotton factory. Stemphyllium spp. The various species of cotton grown as agricultural crops are native to most subtropical parts of the world and were domesticated independently multiple times. Least plentiful and most difficult to grow, long-staple cottons are costly and are used mainly for fine fabrics, yarns, and hosiery.
By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Honeydew excreted by aphids promotes growth of mold.

Gossypium is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Gossypieae of the mallow family, Malvaceae from which cotton is harvested. Mechanization has also reduced substantially the labour needed to grow cotton. But this spot is surrounded by reddish to purplish margin. If it is planted and allowed to grow as an annual (developing across one growing season), it matures to 4 to 5 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Punjab are the principal cotton-growing states.
Aphids are eating by lady bird beetle larvae, Cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii) infestation, Sooty mold on open cotton resulting from aphid infestation, Honeydew on leaves due to aphid infeataion, Biological Control: Insect can go through 3–5 generations a year. Two types of branching occurs on the cotton plant: vegetative and fruiting. Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) has origins in Mexico dating to 3400 B.C. It is comfortable to wear because it absorbs and releases moisture quickly.