31. Cotton.pdf

Cotton

1. Cotton
(Morphology, extraction and uses)
By
Hem Chander
Assistant Professor (Botany)
Career Point University Hamirpur(HP) 176041
[email protected]

2. Cotton is a natural fiber that grows on a plant. It is referred
as the “King of Fibers”. It is both a food and fiber crop, and
the plant is a leafy, green shrub related to the hibiscus
species of plants.
There are up to 50 species of cotton in the Gossypiumgenus.
The most commercially grown cotton species is Gossypium
hirsutum, first developed by the Mayan civilization in hirsutum, first developed by the Mayan civilization in
Mexico.
The fibers are used in textile industry, while the seed is used
as feed for cattles.
The kernels are rich in protein (10-20%) and oil (upto25%).
Cotton seed oil is extracted from the seeds.

18. The full-grown seed is irregularly pear –shaped, varying in size
depending on the variety and conditions of growing.
It may be naked or bear short hairs called "fuzz". All cultivated
cottons bear long fibresnamed "lint" and a majority of them
have also fuzz of the same seed.
Lint and fuzz represent the outgrowths of epidermal cells on
seeds. Some cells continue to lengthen while other stops growing seeds. Some cells continue to lengthen while other stops growing
after at time. The former are the lint and the latter the fuzz.
The lint is removed by gins while the fuzz remains attached. The
colourof fibresmay be white, brown or green and that of the
seed is usually grey, brownish or black.
The kernels are rich in protein (10-20%) and oil (upto25%).
Cotton seed oil is extracted from the seeds.