COTTON PRODUCTION CIRCUIT: PROCESS STAGES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

The cotton production circuit begins long before it can be processed into the many products into which it is converted. First the cotton plant must be planted, then watered and nurtured with fertilizers, also protected from harmful grasses and unwanted insects, and finally it must be harvested.

Cotton is an arboreal plant that is a member of the Malvaceae family. Its small, sticky seeds must be separated from the wool to process the cotton for spinning and weaving. The process begins when the plants flower, then cotton fibers (called fluff) develop in the seed in three stages.

In the "elongation" stage (0-27 days), the fiber cell develops a thin primary wall surrounding a large vacuole, and the cell elongates dramatically. During the "thickening" stage (15 to 55 days), the living protoplast shrinks, while a secondary wall composed almost entirely of cellulose is deposited within the primary wall.

Already at the "maturation" stage, the secondary wall fills most of the fiber's cell volume, leaving a small central cavity (the lumen) that contains the cytoplasm and vacuole. As the capsule opens, the fiber cells rapidly dry out, collapse, and die.

The cotton plant is a source for many important products. Among the most important is cottonseed, which is pressed into cottonseed oil that is used in commercial products such as salad and snack oils, cosmetics, soap, candles, detergents, and paint.

Cotton is also a source of cellulose products, fertilizers, fuel, press paper, and cardboard.

The cotton production process

1- The surface is cleared

The process begins in spring, when the surface clears for planting. Tilting machines pull weeds and grasses that can compete with cotton for nutrients from the soil, sunlight and water, and can attract pests that damage cotton.

2- Planting process

The cottonseed is planted by machines that plant up to 12 rows at a time. First, they cut a small furrow in each row, fall into seed, cover them, and then store the dirt on top.

The seeds can be deposited in small groups or singly. The seed is placed 1.9 to 3.2 centimeters deep, depending on the climate.

3- The seedling emerges

With good soil moisture and warm temperatures, seedlings typically emerge five to seven days after planting, with cotton appearing after about 11 days. The buds ripen for three weeks and then bloom into creamy yellow flowers that turn pink, then red, then drop within just three days of blooming.

Once the flower falls, a small "ovary" remains on the cotton plant. This ovary matures and enlarges into a green sheath called a cotton boll.

4- Cotton blooms

The capsule matures in a period ranging from 55 to 80 days. During this time, the capsule grows and the wet fibers push the newly formed seeds out.

In almost six weeks, the fibers thicken and ten weeks after the flowers first appeared, the fibers separate the boll and the cotton appears. The wet fibers dry in the sun and the fibers crumble and twist together.

5- The cotton is removed

At this point, the cotton plant is defoliated if it is to be harvested by machine. Defoliation (removing the leaves) is often achieved by spraying the plant with a chemical. Without defoliation, the cotton must be picked by hand, with the workers cleaning the leaves as they work.

6- Harvest

Source: David Nance, USDA ARS. United States Department of Agriculture. Public Domain File

Harvesting is done by machines, and the reason is simple: a single machine replaces 50 manual pickers. Two mechanical systems are used to harvest cotton. The collection system uses wind and guides to extract the cotton from the plant. The separation system cuts the plant and uses air to separate the garbage from the cotton.

7- Storage

Source: USDA NRCS Texas CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0) via Wikimedia Commons)

The majority of the cotton is then stored in 'modules', containing 13-15 bales in waterproof containers until they are ready to be discarded. The cotton module is cleaned, compressed, labeled and stored.

8- Understanding in bales

Source: USDA NRCS Texas CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0) via Wikimedia Commons)

The clean, seedless cotton is then compressed into bales, allowing for economical storage and transportation of the cotton. The compressed bales are tied and wrapped.

Cotton history

As far as is known, cotton was used 5,000 years ago to make clothing in what is now Peru and perhaps Mexico. Additionally, cotton was grown, spun, and woven in ancient India, China, Egypt, and Pakistan.

Cotton is not native to Western Europe. Around 800 AD, Arab merchants probably introduced cotton to Spain. In the 14th century, Mediterranean farmers cultivated the cotton plant and sent it to the Netherlands for spinning and weaving.

The Industrial Revolution in the late 1700s included water-based spinning machinery, a monumental improvement over hand spinning.

An American named Samuel Slater, who worked with British machinery, memorized the plans for the spinning machine and returned to his country to install Slater Mill, the first textile mill in the United States to use spinning machines.

This factory represents the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, based on the mechanism of the cotton industry.

Plantation owners in the southern United States began planting cotton as a result of these innovations, using slave labor to harvest the cotton. This is one of the reasons for the friction between North and South that led to the Civil War.

The largest cotton producers

China, India and the United States are the top three countries in terms of cotton production. China produces 6,532 thousand metric tons per year and India produces 6,423 thousand metric tons of cotton, while the United States had a production of 3,553 thousand metric tons.

• China

With around 100,000 farmers, China is the world's largest cotton producer. China has 7,500 textile companies that annually produce US $ 73 billion in cotton fabrics.

• India

India is the second largest producer. Cotton has been used in India since ancient times and produces 6,423 thousand metric tons of cotton every year. The reason for such production is the favorable climate in the northern part of the country. A moderate temperature of 25-35 degrees is ideal for growing cotton.

• U.S

Florida, Mississippi, California, Texas, and Arizona are the top cotton producing states in the United States. Harvesting is done through machines that collect the capsule without damaging the plant. The favorable climate in these regions favors cotton production.

Organic cotton cultivation

There is a lot of discussion regarding the amount of chemicals that are used in growing cotton. Currently, it is estimated that growers use, on average, 151 grams of chemicals to produce one pound of processed cotton.

Cotton farming is responsible for 25% of all chemical pesticides used on crops in the United States. Unfortunately, cotton attracts many pests and is prone to a number of rotting. Chemicals are used to keep this under control.

Currently, there are serious wildlife concerns about poisons that linger in the soil long after cotton is grown. As a result, some farmers have turned to growing organic cotton.

Organic farming uses biological control to eliminate cotton pests and alters planting patterns in specific ways to reduce the use of fungicides. Although this method of cultivation is possible, an organically grown crop generally produces less usable cotton.

This means that an organic farmer must buy, plant, and harvest more acreage to produce enough processed cotton for a profitable crop, or cut costs in other ways to make a profit.

Cotton benefits

Cotton is used mainly to make garments of different uses and quality. Most cotton clothing is used in textile industries. People prefer shirts, jeans, pants, T-shirts, towels and handkerchiefs made of cotton. Clothes made of cotton are soft and light.

These dresses are mostly favored in places that have warmer climates such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and other regions. Cotton cellulose is used in the manufacture of paper.

Cotton is also used in the manufacture of fishing nets. There are still many uses for cotton by-products including oil, candles, and in the making of soaps. Cotton is one of the most important materials in everyday use. It has great use in various aspects, which makes our lives a little more comfortable.

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References

1. Agricultural Production (nd). cottoninc.com.
2. Cotton: from field to factory (sf). cotton.org.
3. Story of cotton (nd). cottonsjourney.com.
4. Top Cotton Producing Countries In The World (sf).worldatlas.com.
5. HOW IS IT GROWN? (sf). Cotton Australia. cottonaustralia.com.au.