Relationship of Leaf and Bract Trichomes to Trash Content of Ginned Lint

Textile mills prefer cotton bales with low trash content. Some cotton cultivars have been characterized as having smoother leaves (low trichome density) and fewer bract trichomes, and it has been shown that these cottons are picked with lower trash content. Cotton picked with lower trash content is easier to clean at the gin and mill. Ten cultivars were grown at 6 locations in 2010 and 5 locations in 2011. Plots were sampled for leaf and bract trichomes and later picked by machine. Ginning and additional sampling was done at the USDA ARS Cotton Ginning Research Unit’s “Microgin” in Stoneville, MS. Leaf and bract trichomes were related to lint trash based on samples collected after lint cleaning and tested by HVI, AFIS, and Shirley Analyzer.