Investigation Using Three Different Lint Cleaners with Roller-Ginning Upland Cotton in Mississippi

Roller ginning of upland cotton in the eastern US has been shown to produce fiber with superior properties compared to ginning with the traditional saw-type gin stands. Cotton mills are interested in using this superior lint but significant investment by cotton gins would be required to install roller gin stands along with the associated lint cleaners of different design which are part of the roller ginning system. One approach would be for the gins to install roller gin stands but use their existing lint cleaners. This approach would reduce the investment needed to produce roller-ginned lint, but traditional saw-type lint cleaners are believed to damage lint more than the lint cleaners normally installed with roller gin stands. For this study four cultivars grown near Stoneville MS were ginned with the roller gin stand followed by three lint cleaners, including a traditional saw-type cleaner and the lint cleaner promoted to be used with the roller gin stand. These cultivars were also ginned with the traditional saw-type gin stand followed by the saw-type lint cleaner, as the standard processing treatment. Samples were taken during ginning and measurements were analyzed. Partial bales of cotton were spun into yarn and samples analyzed at the Cotton Structure and Quality Research Unit in New Orleans, LA. Data will be presented comparing the quality of the lint and yarn of the 4 ginning/lint cleaning treatments with the 4 cultivars.