Advances in Cotton Science

Botany, Production, and Crop Improvement

Ratikanta Maiti, Ch. Aruna Kumari, Abul Kalam Samsul Huda, Debashis Mandal, Sameena Begum

• Publisher: Apple Academic Press
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781000008203
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Science General
• Index: Biological Sciences

Cotton is one of the most important fiber and cash crops throughout the world, and it plays a dominant role in the industrial and agricultural economies of many countries. Here is a rich resource of information on the cultivation and production of cotton. This volume provides an overview of the origin and evolution of cotton and its physiological basis and characterization, and goes on to discuss methods of cultivation, biotic stresses, and harvesting and postharvest technology. The volume addresses new advances in research for best cultivation methods, effective utilization of resources, and operations for achieving higher yields, thus achieving higher productivity. The authors take an interdisciplinary approach, providing valuable information necessary to increase cotton productivity to meet the world's growing demands.

CHAPTER 1

Background and Importance

ABSTRACT

This chapter presents the importance of cotton (including its various industrial products) at global level and discusses a brief outline of research advances in various aspects of cotton crops. Cotton has high demand across the world for manufacture of comfortable dresses. Additionally, various products of high economic values are derived from cotton plants.

1.1 ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE

Cotton is a popular fiber crop grown widely across the globe. It is popularly referred to as “White gold” because of the silky white fibers that are produced. These silky white cotton fibers are popular as “Kapok” and since the olden times, they were put to use in the filling up of mattresses, cushions, and pillows. Accordingly, during World War II in Europe, cotton fibers were used as padding sources of jackets (which were life saving during the war), aiding in providing buoyancy. The cotton seeds are rich in oil and protein, both edible and are useful for soap and lighting. The remnants of cotton seeds are used as feed for livestock. Most of the products of cotton have different industrial uses. They are used in chemicals, food, and in textile production.

The fruits of cotton are often called capsules or bolls. These contain many seeds. Two types of fibers cover seeds, namely, those which are of short length fuzz and long length, lint (Fig. 1.2). Among these short and long fibers, only the lint (Fig. 1.3) have a major use in the textile industry in the production of clothes. In many areas since man began its cultivation, it is harvested manually, is ginned, and later processed.

After the completion of the ginning process, these cotton fibers are made flexible by padding with a wooden bow. Before the commencement of the spinning process, the fibers are carded by the use of a hand comb so that these get separated from one another. And finally during the spinning process, these individual fibers are twisted into yarn. This can be achieved by a hand spindle or on a spinning wheel.

Figure 1.1 shows a cotton plant ready for harvest.

FIGURE 1.1 Cotton plant at boll bursting stage, ready for harvest.
Source: Photo courtesy of Dr. Sadasivan Manickam, Central Cotton Research Institute, ICAR, India.

Across the world, cotton is the only fiber being utilized to a large extent. This acts as a leading cash crop in the US, earning much of the economy to the country. Cotton at the farm level every year involves a large amount of purchase of produce of worth greater than $5.3 billion. Because of its various industrial uses, it acts in stimulation of business activities for most of the industries spread within the country. More business activity is rendered after its processing. More than $120 billion is earned as revenue in the United Sates from cotton and its products.

Monthly Economic Letter (2018) reveals that cotton is extensively used in our daily lives for its multiple uses. It has its main usage in clothing and in several household items. Cotton production reaches several thousands of bales, it is used widely in the production of many industrial products also.

FIGURE 1.2 Boll fully burst.

FIGURE 1.3 Cotton fiber.

As mentioned before, all parts of the cotton plant are used for one purpose or the other, often, most widely used part is the fiber or lint, which is commonly used for the manufacture of cotton cloth. The textiles prepared from cotton are comfortable to wear in all seasons because of their light texture and weight.

Similarly, the short fuzz fiber on the seed, the linters are rich in cellulose. These are therefore used for the manufacture of plastics, explosives, and other products. Fuzz fibers have their utility even in the production of high quality fabricated paper and its product, materials in padding mattresses, furniture and automobile cushions.

Three products are extracted from the crushed cotton seed, namely, oil, meal, and hulls. The seed oil of cotton has its high utility in salad dressing or sometimes used as cooking oil, while rest of the two products are used as poultry, livestock, fish feed, or as fertilizer source. After harvesting of cotton, left out plant debris are plowed under to increase the soil nutrients. Some of the baked food products also use cotton seed as a source of high protein concentrate.

Since the beginning of the Harappan civilization and much before that in the Indian subcontinent, the domestic and Asiatic cottons (G. herbaceum L. and G. arboreum L.) were under domestication or under commercial cultivation in this country, which is a traditional home of cotton and its textiles. All the four popular species of cotton, namely, G. arboreum, G. herbaceum, G. hirsutum, and G. barbadense are under commercial cultivation in this country.

Although the diploid cottons such as G. arboretum L. and G. herbaceum L. are mainly cultivated in dryland tracts, the Bengal desi is grown to a large extent mostly under the irrigated conditions in the northern states of West Bengal. G. hirsutum L., known as the American cotton, is most popular, with a number of varieties and hybrids. On the other hand, G. barbadense L. is popularly known as the Sea Island cotton.

Even though it is a widely cultivated fiber crop, its cultivation also faces unfavorable climatic conditions which are prevalent in most of the cotton growing regions. The cotton production in India is limited owing to the extreme variability in rainfall patterns and stream flows involved as the sources of water supply. There was a drastic reduction of 40% decrease in prices of world cotton during the period of 2001 and 2002 (Minot and Daniels, 2005). This has drawn the attention of Governments across the world to provide subsidies to all the cotton growing farmers who were upset with decreased world prices of cotton.

Van Esbroeck and Bowman (1998) studied about the germplasm diversity in cotton and its utility in the development of cultivars. In general, it is presumed in many crops that the parents which are genetically diverse have a great potential in serving as the parents for the creation or development of a superior progeny. In cotton, however, only a few existing studies have given information in establishing the relationship that existed between the parental genetic distance and the development of suitable cultivars which can perform successfully at different environmental conditions. One of the theories of genetic distance advocates that the matings that have been carried between the distantly related parents could generate more of transgressive segregates than that resulted from the parental lines which were related closely. In most crops, yield improvements were obtained in many cases from the matings that have been obtained from the closely related genotypes, rather than those which were distantly related. Van Esbroeck and Bowman (1998) undertook a study to establish a relationship between the parental genetic distance and the development of successful cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars. They observed the pedigrees of cultivars, these cultivars occupied greater than 1% of the total planting of US in 1987–1996. Then they estimated in final crosses, the genetic relatedness of the parents. It is expressed as coefficient of parentage. Sixty final crosses were found to be successful. These cultivars were obtained by two ways cross (60%) reselection products/germplasm lines (25%)/complex crosses (15%). In final cross, average coefficient of percentage is 0.29. It is more compared with random pairing of parents. They could successfully demonstrate the diversity and its level that was existing within these cotton cultivars which were more locally/regionally adapted.

Soyoung Kim et al. (2003) investigated Asian–American Consumers in Hawai’, they studied their attitude and tendency toward ownership of apparels of ethnic nature. This research investigated the strength of ethnic identification, its influence, the attitudes of people toward apparel quality, etc. Approximately 167 of these consumers who had a frequent visit to apparel store were interviewed. They emphasized toward clothing and its features and also on display of apparels in the shop. The results highlighted that attitude about an apparel is much more important rather than understanding or attributes of display.

Cotton clothes with their majestic colors have earned glamor in Iranian and Indian cultures. Moraveji (2016) undertook a comparative study of graphic aspects of textiles in Indian Gurakani and Iranian Safavid eras. In these periods, valuable textiles played a significant role in expressing the individuals’ social dignity provided with valuable fibers, rare colors, and particular designs. The authors made a comparative analysis of the Iranian textiles designs in Safavids and Indian ones in Gurkani dynasties during 9–11th centuries (AH), which enabled the assessment of similarities and differences in term of designs and color of the textiles in these two countries, and the level and reason for their effectiveness. Investigation into the political–cultural relationship between these two dynasties, techniques, the materials, and instruments used in textiles, itineraries and historical and research books and designs analysis on the basis of the available images and pictures were performed. The findings revealed that the level of effectiveness of technique and Iranian textile design were more than its vice versa state. Although in India and Iran colors of the textiles were often similar, more emphasis was placed on some Indian colors. There was a greater European influence on Indian designs compared with Iranian samples. However, the influence of religion and literature on Iranian artists and textile designs was greater, compared with those of Indian artists and textile designs.

Kern (2018) conducted research on the background, importance, and production volumes of fatty acids. The research observed that much importance of establishment of industry for fatty acid production was based on the production and economic gains that were realized during 1978 in the United States, wherein the production of fatty acid oils was 956 M lbs. The 1978 US production of various fatty acids was broken down into nine saturated categories and five unsaturated categories. These were (1) stearic and 127.2 M lbs. (13.3%); (2) hydrogenated animal and vegetable acids (2a) 97.3 M lbs. (10.2%), (2b) 158 M lbs. (16.5%), (2c) 32 M lbs. (3.4%); (3) high palmitic, 14.6 M lbs. (1.5%); (4) hydrogenated fish, 6.5 M lbs. (0.7%); (5) lauric acid types, 88.8 M lbs. (9.3%); (6) fractionated fatty acids, (6a) C₁₀ or lower, 18.5 M lbs. (1.9%), (6b) C₁₂ and C₁₄55% 17 M lbs. (1.9%); (7) oleic acid, 158.3 M lbs. (16.6%); (8) animal fatty acids other than oleic, 156.3 M lbs. (16.3%); (9) vegetable or marine fatty acids, 0.1 M lbs. (less than 1%); (10) unsaturated fatty acids, 57 M lbs. (6.0%); (11) unsaturated fatty acids IV over 130, 24.2 M lbs (2.5%). Reported 1977 fatty acid derivative production from fatty acids (not fats and oils) was 1980 M lbs. It was observed that the average price of fatty acids increased from 23ȼ/lb to 60ȼ/lb. within a short span in last 5 years.

In view of the great importance of cotton globally, enormous research inputs have been directed on various aspects of cotton such as world production, origin, evolution and domestication, ideotype, botany, physiology, abiotic stresses affecting cotton production, (drought, salinity, heat stress, cold tolerance); biotic tresses (insect pests, diseases), harvest and post-harvest management, research advances in cotton breeding and biotechnology; fiber quality and its management, etc., which are presented in subsequent chapters.

It is worth to note that Dr. Maiti, during his stay as Research adviser in Vibha Seeds, acquired an immense knowledge and conducted a series of research and developed techniques, which, although unpublished is intended to be included in this book. The various techniques developed are outlined below:

1. Screening for Abiotic stress tolerance

a) Drought tolerance: Developed efficient technique for screening and selection of cotton crops (The selected lines shown good performance under drought prone areas).

b) Salinity tolerance: Developed simple, efficient, and cheap technique (semi-hydroponic) for screening and selection of cotton. The selected cultivars have shown good performance in saline prone areas depicting the transfer of technique from lab to land.

c) Heat stress tolerance: Developed techniques for evaluation and selection of cotton for heat stress tolerance, which were confirmed by breeders in actual field situation.

d) Flooding stress tolerance: Developed techniques for evaluation and selection of cotton, maize, and tomato in the aspect of flooding stress tolerance.

2. Biotic stress tolerance: Studies on sucking pest tolerance in cotton for biotic stress tolerance. Morpho-anatomical selections for biotic stress tolerance in cotton, tomato, chilli elite lines, pipeline hybrids.

3. Root studies: Developed techniques for evaluatio...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• About the Authors
• Table of Contents
• Abbreviations
• Preface
• Acknowledgment
• 1. Background and Importance
• 2. World Cotton Production and Factors Affecting Production
• 3. Origin, Evolution, and Domestication
• 4. Cotton Ideotype
• 5. Cotton Botany and Characterization
• 6. Physiological Basis of Cotton Growth and Productivity
• 7. Research Advances in Abiotic Stress Resistance in Cotton
• 8. Cotton Biotic Stress
• 9. Methods of Cultivation
• 10. Harvest and Postharvest Technology and Factors Affecting Fiber Quality
• 11. Research Advances in Breeding and Biotechnology
• Index