REDUCING COTTON LINT STICKINESS

Authors: HENNEBERRY, THOMAS; BLACKLEDGE, BILL - COOPERATOR, PHOENIX, AZ; PERKINS JR, HENRY; HENDRIX, DONALD; NICHOLS, ROBERT - COTTON INC, RALEIGH, NC; STEELE, TERRY

Submitted to: Silverleaf Whitefly: 1997 Supplement to the Five Year National Research and
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/1/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Laboratory & field studies were conducted to evaluate potential of an enzyme for degrading honeydew sugars in cotton lint & reducing thermodetector (TD) counts. Laboratory TD counts decreased with increasing moisture percentages. Reduced counts occurred more rapidly when 1% of a proprietary enzyme was included in water solutions & seed cotton (SC) moisture percentage were 11% or higher. Water plus 1% enzyme applied to SC during harvest significantly reduced TD lint stickiness of SC samples taken from a cotton module before ginning and for lint samples after ginning compared with water-treated SC. Harvested untreated control SC in a module averaged 7.4% moisture compared to 10.9% for SC in a module built from water plus enzyme-treated SC. Average temperatures of SC at module building time were 87 & 83 D F for the untreated and water plus enzyme-treated cotton, respectively. Three days after module building, average temperature for the SC in the control module was 88 compared with 114 D F in the water plus enzyme-treated module. TD counts were significantly reduced by the water plus enzyme-treatment compared to untreated SC. Preliminary results with simulated spindle picker processing of moderately but not light-sticky cotton showed increased TD counts when spindle moisture pads were operated. Ginning effects were minimal but reduced amounts of trehalulose and TD counts occurred following each lint process. Leaf trash from ginned SC contained trehalulose and melezitose.