Raina K. King, Texas A&M Agricultural Experiment Station, 1102 E. FM 1294, Lubbock, TX 79403, Robert Wright, Texas Tech University, P.O. Box 42122, Lubbock, TX 79409, and John R. Gannaway, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Rt 3, Box 219, Lubbock, TX 79401.
Bract tissue is one of the botanical components of trash found in both unginned and lint cotton. The bract tissue senesces shortly after the boll opens and becomes brittle and dry. When this occurs the bract will often lie against the cotton lint and become entangled in it. In past studies it was shown that 45-55% of gin trash is bract or leaflike trash. This is a major concern for producers, ginners and textile industries. Gossypium harknessii, a wild species of cotton that is found in Baja California, contains a very interesting trait. This species of cotton is one of three that contains a trait that is known as the caducous bract. This bract falls off from the flower or boll before it is full mature. Examination of this trait will lead to possibilities of incorporation into commercial cultivars leading to decreased amount of gin trash. In this study we examined the bract tissue to see where the abscission occurred, when this was occurring and if vascular tissue plays a part in the desiccation of the bract tissue.
