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The article discusses a study on the variation of defoliation timing in boll cutting to assess quality of boll fibre, effect of seasonal variations and link of boll quality to the final micronaire or cotton fiber quality. It examines the low micronaire from immature bolls and differences in boll classes. It explains the prediction of micronaire at harvest time using information on the defoliation of immature bolls.

The article discusses the results of a study on how early defoliation can affect the performance of cotton textile. According to the authors, the timing of defoliation treatments affected the maturity of the fiber causing the harvested fiber to be lower in micronaire. They add that early defoliation resulted to the lack of improvement in yarn strength with more immature fiber because of shorter fibers during treatments. They also mention the production of lighter colored fabrics with significantly different in appearance due to early defoliation.

The article summarizes information related to in-season cotton management decisions that influence fibre quality in Australia published in the FIBREpak guide. Among the management decisions are avoiding water stress on developing fibres and avoiding herbicide or insect damage. The importance to fruit retention of managing early growth is stressed. Also explained is the practice of applying high rates of growth regulator late in the season.

The article discusses considerations relating to pre-sowing which will influence the fiber quality of cotton. Growers are advised to choose a variety with potential for good fiber quality traits and to evaluate relative fiber properties using published seed company data. Weed control is considered critical because weeds at harvest reduce harvest efficiency, contaminate lint, and reduce the effectiveness of leaf dessicant applications. The effects of excessive nitrogen nutrition are discussed.

The article discusses the effects of defoliation timing and machine spindle harvesting on neps in cotton. It mentions the undesirability of neps in cotton which reduce mill processing efficiency and destroy the appearance of finished yarns and fabrics. It states that the study found more total neps in cotton which was machine spindle-harvested as compared to those hand-harvested. It also concludes that machine spindle harvesting did not combine with defoliation timing to increase neps.

The article discusses a study on cotton defoliation timing to determine the crop conditions that contribute to immature fibres and levels of neps in crops of harvest, and the impact of lint cleaning passes on fibre quality. Earlier defoliation reportedly resulted in lower linear density fibres with increased neps, and with extra lint cleaning passes increasing neps in very immature fibre. It is stated that fibre quality at harvest is linked to crop condition and that this supports the recommended application of defoliants at 60 percent open bolls.

The author discusses the issues to be considered in the preparation of the cotton crop for harvesting to maintain fiber quality. These include the proper irrigation of the crop to prevent its regrowth and the management of pest infestation in order to prevent stickiness in the cotton fibers. Several samplings are conducted to determine the maturity of the cotton plants. The application of harvesting chemicals is timed based on the development of the boll and the weather.

The discusses an experiment that was conducted to systematically vary the timing of defoliation, with the intention of generating different amounts of immature fibre at harvest. It was conducted at the Australian Cotton Research Institute (ACRI) using Sicot 71BR sown in October 2005. It found that yield of cotton lint from defoliation treatments applied up to 56% open bolls were significantly less than later treatments. It suggests that the management practice of defoliating cotton from 60% open bolls appears to have no impact on textile performance.

The article discusses the reasons why the production of high micronaire cotton has become a quality issue for spinners in Australia. The main competitors of Australian in terms of cotton growing include the U.S., China, Brazil and West Africa. To be able to remain competitive, a spinning mill should be able to produce quality yarn in a cost-effective way. A spinner should be knowledgeable of the fiber properties of the cotton lint used to control processing performance, operating costs and the quality of yarn, and the fabric produced from the cotton.

The article highlights the results of a study which compared the performance of new cotton varieties with present types. Three varieties were selected, including currently released varieties Sicala 71BR, Sicala 35OB and Pima CPX42 and unreleased upland varieties Bollgard II and a conventional variety. It was found that Bollgard II was the highest yielding type while Sicala 350B and Bollgard II were the strongest yarn.

The article offers information on a study which aims to compare fibre quality of traditional spindle harvesters to the new round module harvesting systems. It provides an overview of several experiments conducted to compare the fibre quality of cotton harvested by both harvesting methods. It reveals that the fibre quality's variability between bales was higher for the round module system.

The article provides information on the alternate miniature cotton spinning system refurbished by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Textile and Fibre Technology (CTFT) for its linking farming systems project. It states that the equipment was designed for and employed by commercial mills and research organisations for processing small batches of fibre to determine spinability. The process of spinning cotton into ring spun yarns are also discussed.