Cotton production
Cotton production is the cultivation, harvesting, and processing of cotton plants to obtain textile fiber, cottonseed, and related products.
Cotton plant: A cultivated plant in the genus Gossypium whose seed hairs form cotton fiber. Its growth and seed hairs supply the raw material for cotton production.
Cotton boll: The protective fruit of a cotton plant, containing seeds and mature fibers. The boll is the harvested unit from which lint and seed are recovered.
Cotton textile: A fabric or other textile made wholly or partly from cotton fiber. Textiles are the primary destination for cotton lint.
Irrigation: The artificial application of water to land or crops. Irrigation sustains cotton production where rainfall is insufficient, but can strain water supplies.
Domestication of cotton: The independent development of cultivated cotton from wild species in several world regions. Separate domestications created the cotton species that underpin production today.
Cotton cultivation: The agricultural practices used to grow cotton, including planting, irrigation, and pest management. These field practices determine plant growth and the eventual yield of lint.
Cotton fiber: The elongated seed hairs of cotton plants, used chiefly to make textiles. Fiber length, strength, and fineness help determine the lint's textile value.
Cottonseed meal: A protein-rich by-product made after oil is extracted from cottonseed. It gives the seed stream a use as animal feed, subject to safety limits.
Pesticide: A substance used to prevent, destroy, or control pests affecting crops or other targets. Cotton pest management has involved substantial pesticide use and associated exposure risks.
Gossypium hirsutum: A cotton species native to the Americas that supplies most of the world's commercial cotton. Its dominance defines the species base of contemporary production.