What is cotton?
Cultivated cotton plants grow to about 1 to 2 metres tall, and produce white flowers from a bud. When the bud has flowered, it turns pink and the petals fall off. Seeds are then formed in a small green pod called the cotton boll. Huge numbers of seed hairs form around each seed and these white fibres become packed around the seed inside the boll. When the boll is mature, it bursts open, showing the soft cotton fibres, which help the cotton seeds spread.
Cotton fibres are about 2 to 4 centimetres in length. They are made up of about 87–90 per cent cellulose. This is a tough carbohydrate molecule that makes up the cell wall of all plants. The fibres also contain 5–8 per cent water and about 5 per cent other substances.
The length of the cotton fibre determines the quality, and therefore the price, of the cotton produced. The longest fibres are woven into the highest quality cotton fabric.
For more information on cotton, go to:
The Cooperative Research Centre for Cotton: www.cotton.pi.csiro.au
Cotton Australia: www.cottonaustralia.com.au