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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Cotton Ginning Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #195530
Title: HARVESTING AND GINNING A COTTON WITH A FRAGILE SEED COAT

Author
item Armijo, Carlos
item Holt, Gregory
item BAKER, KEVIN
item HUGHS, SIDNEY
item BARNES, EDWARD - COTTON INC
item GILLUM, MARVIS - ARS (RETIRED)

Submitted to: Journal of Cotton Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/14/2006
Publication Date: 12/31/2006
Citation: Armijo, C.B., Holt, G.A., Baker, K.D., Hughs, S.E., Barnes, E.M., Gillum, M.N. 2006. Harvesting and ginning a cotton with a fragile seed coat. Journal of Cotton Science. 10:311-318.

Interpretive Summary: A high-yielding high-quality cotton cultivar 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 reduced by changing the spindle configuration on the cotton picker, ginning with a less-dense seed roll, or ginning at a reduced processing rate. Results showed that running the spindles on the picker at high speed worsened seed coat fragments, and using a seed roll box with paddles reduced the level of seed coat fragments. Results indicated that further harvesting and ginning research is needed to alleviate seed coat nep counts in ginned fiber. Providing the producer with a high-yielding high-quality cotton cultivar will increase his profit and provide the textile industry with a 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 high-yielding high-quality cultivar that has a fragile seed coat. Four harvester treatments examined the effects of spindle size (diameter) and spindle speed. One of the harvester treatments contained a control cultivar. Four ginning treatments examined the effects of seed roll density and processing rate. The experiment affirmed that the cultivar with a fragile seed coat had many desirable fiber properties, but seed coat nep count and visible foreign matter content were not favorable. Results showed that short fiber content 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 worsened when the 16-mm (5/8-inch) spindle ran at high speed. 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.