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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Cotton Ginning Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #94150

Title: GINNING CHARACTERISTICS OF BT AND NON-BT COTTONS

Author
item Anthony, William

Submitted to: American Society of Agricultural Engineers Meetings Papers
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/15/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Transgenic cottons are being used to complement conventional insect control practices. These new cottons are conventional cultivars with the transgenic gene Bacillus thuringiensis added. Comparative studies of the ginning characteristics of these new transgenic cottons and conventional cottons have not been reported. This study compared the ginning characteristics of transgenic cottons to conventional cottons grown on 13 farms in the Mississippi Delta. The only difference of practical importance was that 16 pounds more seed cotton was required to produce a 500-lb bale of lint cotton for the transgenic cultivars. Cost for the farmer is about $4/bale. This difference will not impact the use of the transgenic cotton.

Technical Abstract: Previous research has demonstrated the advantages of Bt cotton over non-Bt cottons in terms of economic benefits and reduced insecticide requirements. Differences between the gin processing characteristics of Bt and non-Bt cottons have not been documented. This study evaluated Bt and non-Bt cottons grown on 13 farms in the Mississippi Delta. Statistically, significant differences were found in nearly all market-related factors; however, these differences were not large enough to be of practical importance. The amount of lint produced per quantity of seed cotton input (lint turnout) was the only factor that was of material significance and averaged 36 and 36.4% for Bt and non-Bt cottons, respectively. Lint turnout was less for 9 of the 13 farms and monetarily was about $4.00 less per bale for the Bt cottons averaged across all farms.