Cotton

Cotton is a fiber, feed and food crop.

The fiber of a thousand faces and almost as many uses, cotton is noted for its versatility, its appearance, its performance and-above all-its natural comfort. From all types of apparel…to sheets and towels…tarpaulins and tents…cotton in today’s fast-moving world is still nature’s wonder fiber, providing thousands of useful products and supporting millions of jobs as it moves year after year from field to fabric.

U.S. textile mills will spin more than 10 million bales of cotton in 2000. That’s enough cotton to make 3 billion pairs of men’s jeans and 8 billion men’s dress shirts.

About two thirds of the harvested crop is composed of the seed, which is crushed to separate its three products – oil, meal and hulls. Cottonseed oil is a common component of many food items, used primarily as a cooking oil, shortening and salad dressing. The oil is used extensively in the preparation of such snack foods as crackers, cookies and chips. The meal and hulls are used as livestock, poultry and fish feed and as fertilizer.

Additional Resources:

Diseases University of Georgia’s IPM Site Well-organized listing of cotton diseases with links to more information. Mississippi State University’s Extension Cotton Page Links to a variety of cotton production resources Entomology University of Georgia’s IPM Site Well-organized listing of insects with links to more information Mississippi State University’s Cotton Insect Site links to Insect Control Guide and other pest specific publications IPM and B.t.: Recommended Management Practices National Integrated Pest Management Network Search by commodity, pest, state/region, tactics, etc. A Scout’s Guide to Basic Cotton Terminology Nutrient Management Mississippi State University’s Fertlizer Management page Mississippi State University’s Soils page Plant Pathology Mississippi State University’s Extension Cotton Page Links to a variety of cotton production resources Tillage Operations Conservation Tillage Cotton & Rice Conference Proceedings Mississippi State University’s Extension Cotton Page Links to a variety of cotton production resources Varieties Mississippi State University Variety Trials for past several years The Classification of Cotton Addresses Fiber Quality, Classing, etc. on currently available varieties Water Management Mississippi State University’s Extension Cotton Page Links to a variety of cotton production resources Mississippi State University’s Irrigation, Soil & Water page Includes extensive information about water management in Mississippi Weed Science LSU’s Weed Control Recommendations Mississippi State University’s Extension Cotton Page Links to a variety of cotton production resources