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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Cotton Ginning Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #192546
Title: HARVESTING AND GINNING A FRAGILE SEED COAT COTTON

Author
item Armijo, Carlos
item Holt, Gregory
item Baker, Kevin
item Hughs, Sidney
item BARNES, EDWARD - COTTON INCORPORATED
item GILLUM, MARVIS - RETIRED USDA-ARS

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/6/2006
Publication Date: 6/9/2006
Citation: Armijo, C.B., Holt, G.A., Baker, K.D., Hughs, S.E., Barnes, E.M., Gillum, M.N. 2006. Harvesting and ginning a fragile seed coat cotton. In: Proceedings of the Beltwide Cotton Conferences, January 3-6, 2006, San Antonio, Texas. 2006 CDROM. p. 556-566.

Interpretive Summary: An experimental high-yielding high-quality cotton variety contains a seed coat that is fragile and breaks easily. Seed coat fragments that remain in the lint after the ginning process cause problems during the spinning process and ultimately affect the quality of finished goods. An experiment was conducted to determine if seed coat fragments can be alleviated with changes to the cotton picker or ginning with either a less-dense seed roll or reduced processing rate. Results show that running the spindles on the cotton picker at high speed worsened seed coat fragments, and using a seed roll box with paddles reduced the level of seed coat fragments. Results indicate that further harvesting and ginning research is needed to alleviate seed coat nep counts in ginned fiber. Commercializing a high-yielding high-quality cotton variety can provide the producer with a profitable and desirable fiber.

Technical Abstract: Seed coat fragments that remain in the lint after the ginning process cause problems during the spinning process, and ultimately affect the quality of finished goods. An experiment was conducted to determine the interactions of harvesting and saw ginning with a variety that is known to have fragile seed coats. Four harvester treatments examined the effects of spindle size (diameter) and spindle speed. One of the harvester treatments contained a control variety. Four ginning treatments examined the effects of seed roll density on seed coat fragments in ginned fiber. The experiment affirmed that the fragile seed coat variety contained many favorable fiber properties, but seed coat nep count and visible foreign matter content were not favorable. Results showed that short fiber and length uniformity were better with the 16-mm (5/8-inch) spindle, maturity and immature fiber content were better with the 13-mm (1/2-inch) spindle, and seed coat nep count was worse when the 16-mm (5/8-inch) spindle was run at high speed. In addition, the paddle-roll seed roll box had the lowest amount of seed coat nep count and visible foreign matter content, and the standard and conveyor-tube roll boxes had the lowest amount of short fiber content. Spinning tests to determine yarn and fabric quality have not been completed.