BIO 423 [ECONOMIC BOTANY]

COTTON PLANT
Cotton is one of the greatest of all industrial crops.  It is the principal fiber plant as well as one
of the oldest and most economical.  It was known since ancient times and well before written
records.  

The cotton plant belongs to the genus Gossypium of the family Malvaceae (mallow family); the
same family as hollyhock, okra and hibiscus. It is generally a shrubby plant having broad three-
lobed leaves and seeds in capsules, or bolls; each seed is surrounded with downy fibre, white or
creamy in colour and easily spun. The fibres flatten and twist naturally as they dry. There are
different species of Cotton – Gossypium hirsutum, Gossypium barbadense, Gossypium
herbaceum and Gossypium arboreum, the first two species being the most commonly cultivated.
Characteristics of cotton plant

Cotton is grown commercially as an annual shrub and reaches about 1.2 metres in height. Its
leaves are broad and heart-shaped with coarse veins and three to five lobes. The plant has many
branches, with one main central stem. The cotton plant’s taproot reaches a depth of 1.5 metres.

Squares (flower buds) develop several weeks after the plant starts to grow, with flowers
appearing a few weeks later. The flowers then drop, leaving a ripening seed pod that becomes the
cotton boll (the fruit) after pollination.

The plant also produces seeds that are contained in small capsules surrounded by fibre in the
cotton bolls.

Each cotton boll usually contains 27-45 seeds, and attached to each seed is between 10,000 –
20,000 tiny fibres about 28mm in length.

Cotton fibre is made from cellulose, has a slim coating of wax and is thin and hollow like a
straw.

When mature, the crop is picked and ginned, a process that separates the cotton fibre (or lint)
from the seed.
Cotton lint makes up about 42% of the picked cotton by weight, and contributes about 85% of
the total income from a cotton crop. The other 15% of income comes from cotton seed.

Cultivation of Cotton plant

Cotton is primarily grown in dry tropical and subtropical climates at temperature between 25-28
degree Celsius. It is warm climate crop. Excessive exposure to dryness or moisture deteriorate
the quality as well as yield (Production).

Cotton seeds should be planted in well prepared moist soil with high nutrient supplying capacity.
Ridges are made on the soil before sowing the cotton seeds. Planting period varies in different
regions.

The seeds are planted 1-10 cm deep and in rows/ridges which are 1 m apart. If the soil is
sufficiently warm and moist, germination and seedling development starts. 

Young plant pushes up through the surface of the soil in 8-12 days. If the soil is too dry,
germination may not take place and if it is wet and cold, germination is slow and uncertain. The
leaves and the stem of young plants are very tender (Young and Immature). Leaves then become
dark olive green and the plants grow rapidly. 

Flowering generally starts one and half months to two months after the crop is planted. Blooming
will continue regularly for several weeks, even months as long as growing conditions are
suitable. Formation of cotton flower bud takes place in this period. 

The open flower of cotton plant is yellowish to white in colour on first day. It turns pink on
second day. This flower lasts for day or so and on third day flower falls down. After
disappearance of the flower, the inner part of the bloom gradually develops into fruit which is
called as Cotton Boll. Cotton bolls keep growing till full size. It will take about two months
between blooming and 1st day of opening the boll. 

The immature seeds thus formed, grow rapidly and large cotton boll mature in 40-50 days.
Cotton. Cotton fibres grow inside the closed boll on the cotton seed. Each cotton seed may
contain 20,000 fibres on its surface and a single boll may contain 1,50,000 fibres or more.

Flow chart showing the process of cotton cultivation

When seeds are nearly ripe, the boll bursts and opens. The cotton hairs project (Come out/
Exposed) forming a white fluffy mass which is usually accommodated in four sections on the
boll as shown in the diagram below:
Open Cotton Boll

The fibres now complete their ripening, the cell contents gradually dry up leaving the
commercial cotton fibre. The drying of the fibre takes place under the influence of sun, which
produces curl or twist in fibre, called as Convolutions. This is very important characteristic of
cotton fibre. Number of convolutions vary according to quality of cotton

The bolls are now ready for harvesting. Cotton fibres are picked from boll either by hand picking
or by means of machines.

After the cotton has been gathered, the cotton fibres are separated from seed by a process called
as Ginning (The process of removing cotton seeds from pods). The fibres collected after ginning
process contain fragments of seed coats, leaves, stem, other impurities, etc. Depending on
the fibre quality, the ginned cotton is graded and pressed into bales and then transported to the
spinning mill. 

Spinning: The process of making yarn from fibre is called spinning. The raw cotton is supplied
to industry in the form of bales.

Steps in making cotton yarn

a. The raw cotton is loosened and cleaned; to remove straw and dried leaves.
b. The cleaned cotton is then fed into a machine. The cotton fibre are combed, straightened
and converted into a rope like structure called sliver.
c. The sliver of cotton fibre is converted into yarn by spinning using machines.

Weaving: The process of arranging two sets of yarn together to make a fabric is called
weaving. The big reels of yarn are called bobbins. These bobbins are used for weaving the
cloth. Cloth is woven on looms. After that they bleached and dyed to give a finish.

Knitting: Knitting can be done by hand and machine. Just two yarns are used in knitting,
while more than two yarns are used in weaving. Sweater, socks, scarf and caps are knitted
from the wool.
Different Parts of the Cotton Plant

Stem and Branches

A cotton plant starts from seeds. The seeds germinate in 5 to 10 days and the cotton plant begins
its growth with two cotyledons (the seed leaves that form nodes opposite each other at the base
of the main stem) until the plant forms true leaves (leaves produced subsequent to the
cotyledons). Cotton has a tap root system and roots go deeper into the soil for search of nutrients.
Development of a healthy root system for acquiring soil nutrients is vital to feed the growing
plant.
As a cotton plant begins to grow, it develops a series of nodes up the main stem. Beginning with
the fifth or sixth node, the plant begins to form fruiting branches, which bear the cotton fruit.
Typically, a cotton plant will continue to add nodes and fruiting branches for a total of 16 to 22
nodes, with 12 to 16 fruiting branches. Leaves:

Leaves provide carbohydrate energy supply for adding nodes and branches and for growing
bolls. Photosynthesis converts light energy into chemical energy that is stored as sugars in the
plant. All plant metabolic reactions are dependent on this energy source.
 Roots
Cotton has a tap root system and the roots can be as deep as 10 inches in the first 3 weeks. Roots
can grow up to 2 inches per day during the early stages of cotton, making them twice as long as
the plant height. When plants begin to set bolls, root growth slows abruptly.

Reproductive Stage- Squares, Bolls and Fruits

The flower bud that first appears on the plant when reproductive growth begins is called a ‘square’.
The flower bud is enclosed by three bracts. Squares grow for about three weeks before a flower
appears. Cream or yellow flowers open during early morning hours. During this time, the male and
female flower parts expand rapidly. The flower petals turn pink on the second day and later dry up
and drop off and then form a boll. The cotton plant is constantly adding squares to the plant and then
aborting squares or young bolls to balance out the demand of the growing boll load. Boll retention
should begin near the level of square retention and show a gradual decline throughout the bloom
period as the plant reaches its capacity for supplying bolls with carbohydrates.
Uses of Cotton
Cotton is used either by itself or in combination with other fibers in the manufacture of all types of
textiles.  Unspun cotton is extensively used for stuffing purposes.  Treating the fibers with caustic
soda, which imparts a high luster and silky appearance, makes Mercerized Cotton.  Absorbent
Cotton consists of fibers that have been cleaned and from which the oily covering layer has been
removed.  It is almost pure cellulose and makes up one of the basic raw materials of various cellulose
industries.
A noteworthy advance in the cotton industry was the utilization of what were formerly waste
products.  In the early stages of the industry the cotton seed along with its fuzzy covering of short
hairs or linters was discarded.  However, all parts of the plant are now conserved to yield products
that are valuable.  The stalks contain a fiber that can be used to make paper or fuel and the roots
possess a crude drug.  The seeds are used for oil extraction and for livestock feed.  The linters give
wadding, stuffing for pads, cushions, pillows, mattress, etc; absorbent cotton; low grade yarn for
twine, ropes and carpets; and cellulose.  The hulls are also livestock feed; fertilizer; lining oil wells to
prevent cave-ins of the sides; as a source of Xylose, a sugar that can be converted into alcohol or
various explosives and industrial solvents.  The kernels yield an important fatty oil, cottonseed oil;
and oil cake and meal are used for fertilizer, livestock feed, and flour and as a dye.