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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Cotton Production and Processing Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #371800
Research Project: Enhancing the Profitability and Sustainability of Upland Cotton, Cottonseed, and Agricultural Byproducts through Improvements in Pre- and Post-Harvest Processing

Location: Cotton Production and Processing Research

Title: Update on contamination research - 2020 Southwest Cotton Physiology meeting held in Ardmore, OK; February 4 - 6, 2020

Author
item Wanjura, John
item Pelletier, Mathew
item Holt, Gregory

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/5/2020
Publication Date: 2/5/2020
Citation: Wanjura, J.D., Pelletier, M.G., Holt, G.A. 2020. Update on contamination research - 2020 Southwest Cotton Physiology meeting held in Ardmore, OK; February 4 - 6, 2020. Meeting Abstract. Presentation.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Plastic contamination in US grown cotton is costly to producers and threatens the long-standing reputation of the US as a reliable source of high-quality, contaminant free cotton. Premiums for US cotton on the international market have decreased. Currently, spot quotations for bales with 71/72 plastic contamination classing codes are discounted 4000 points (40 cents per lint pound) and merchants/mills have begun to reject these bales. The objective of this presentation is to describe research efforts underway to identify and eject plastic (and other) contaminants in seed cotton before the gin stand. Systems developed for detecting plastic at the module feeder and extractor-feeder apron will be discussed in addition to a new system used in 2020 to document mishaps in the unloading/unwrapping process that elevate the risk of plastic contamination.