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

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