   #copyright

Gossypium

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Plants

                 iGossypium
   Gossypium barbadense
   Gossypium barbadense
         Scientific classification

   Kingdom:  Plantae
   Division: Magnoliophyta
   Class:    Magnoliopsida
   Order:    Malvales
   Family:   Malvaceae
   Genus:    Gossypium
             L.

                                   Species

   See text.

   Gossypium is a genus of 39-40 species of shrubs in the family
   Malvaceae, native to the tropical and subtropical regions of both the
   Old World and the New World. The cotton plants, sources of commercial
   cotton fabric, are included in this genus.

   Cotton shrubs can grow up to 3 m (10 ft) high. The leaves are broad and
   lobed, with three to five (or rarely seven) lobes. The seeds are
   contained in a capsule called a boll, each seed surrounded by downy
   fibers called lint. Commercial species of cotton plant are G. hirsutum
   (U.S. and Australia), G. arboreum and G. herbaceum (Asia), and G.
   barbadense (Egypt). While the lint naturally occurs in colors of white,
   brown, and green, fears of contaminating the genetics of white cotton
   has led many cotton-growing locations to ban growing of colored cotton
   varieties.

Species of Gossypium

   Commercial cotton species

   Commercial cotton fibers, used to manufacture cloth, are derived from
   the fruit of the cotton plant. The following species are grown
   commercially:
     * Gossypium arboreum L. – Tree cotton, native to southern Asia,
       india.
     * Gossypium barbadense L. – Creole cotton or Sea island cotton,
       native to tropical South America.
     * Gossypium herbaceum L. – Levant cotton, native to southern Africa
     * Gossypium hirsutum L. – Upland cotton, native to Central America,
       the Caribbean and southern Florida.

   Non-commercial species

     * Gossypium sturtianum J.H. Willis – Sturt's Desert Rose, native to
       Australia.
     * Gossypium thurberi Tod. – Arizona wild cotton, native to Arizona,
       New Mexico and northern Mexico.
     * Gossypium tomentosum Nutt. ex Seem – Ma‘o or Hawaiian cotton, is a
       species endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The seed hairs (lint) are
       short and reddish brown, unsuitable for spinning or twisting into
       thread.

   Useful Links : http://www.cicr.gov.in Ripening commercial cotton bolls
   in the field]]

Cotton pests and diseases

Pests

     * Boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis
     * Cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii
     * Cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, and native budworm
       Helicoverpa punctigera are caterpillars that damage cotton crops.

          + Some other Lepidoptera larvae also feed on cotton - see list
            of Lepidoptera which feed on Cotton plants.

     * Green mirid (Creontiades dilutus), a sucking insect
     * Spider mites, Tetranychus urticae, T. ludeni and T. lambi
     * Thrips, Thrips tabaci and Frankliniella schultzei

Diseases

     * Alternaria leaf spot, caused by Alternaria macrospora and
       Alternaria alternata
     * Anthracnose boll rot, caused by Colletotrichum gossypii
     * Black root rot, caused by the fungus Thielaviopsis basicola
     * Blight cuased by Xanthomonas campestris pv. malvacearum
     * Fusarium boll rot caused by Fusarium spp.
     * Phytophthora boll rot, caused by Phytophthora nicotianae var.
       parasitica
     * Sclerotinia boll rot, caused by fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Genetically modified cotton

   GM cotton was developed to reduce the heavy reliance on pesticides. GM
   cotton is widely used throughout the world with claims of requiring up
   to 80% less pesticide than ordinary cotton. The International Service
   for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) said that
   worldwide GM cotton was planted on an area of 67,000 km² in 2002. This
   is 20% of the worldwide total area planted in cotton. The US cotton
   crop was 73% GM in 2003.

   The initial introduction of GM cotton proved to be a commercial
   disaster in Australia - the yields were far lower than predicted, and
   the cotton plants were cross-pollinated with other varieties of cotton.
   However the introduction of a second variety of GM cotton led to 15% of
   Australian cotton being GM in 2003 with 80% of the crop being GM in
   2004 when the original variety was banned.

Organic cotton

   Organic cotton is cotton grown without pesticides or chemical additives
   to fertilizer, relying instead on methods with less ecological impact.
   Organic cotton is used to manufacture everything from handkerchiefs to
   kimono robes. Different levels of certification exist, but at a
   minimum, a crop must be grown in soil that has been chemical-free for
   at least three years.

   Gossypium hirsutum flower with bumblebee pollinator, Hemingway, South
   Carolina

   Gossypium tomentosum boll

   Integrated Pest Management bollworm trap at a cotton field in Manning,
   South Carolina

   Natural biocontrol: Predatory Polistes wasp looking for bollworms or
   other caterpillars on cotton plant in Hemingway, South Carolina
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossypium"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
