Gossypium

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For information on cotton production, industry, history, and applications, see cotton.
For the clothing company, see Gossypium (clothes).
Gossypium
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 fibres called lint. Commercial species of cotton plant are G. hirsutum (90% of world production), G. barbadense (8%), G. arboreum and G. herbaceum (together, 2%). While the lint (fiber) 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 coloured cotton varieties.

Contents

[edit] Species of Gossypium

Commercial cotton species

Commercial cotton fibres, used to manufacture cloth, are derived from the fruit of the cotton plant. The following species are grown commercially:

Non-commercial species

Many varieties of cotton have been developed by selective breeding and hybridization of the above species. Experiments are ongoing to cross-breed various desirable traits of wild cotton species into the principal commercial species, such as resistance to insects, disease and drought-tolerance.

[edit] Cotton pests and diseases

Cotton field in Sukhumi botanical garden, photo ca. 1912
Cotton field in Sukhumi botanical garden, photo ca. 1912

[edit] Pests

  • Boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis
  • Cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii
  • Cotton stainer, Dysdercus Koenigii
  • Cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera and native budworm Helicoverpa punctigera are caterpillars that damage cotton crops.
  • Green mirid (Creontiades dilutus), a sucking insect
  • Spider mites, Tetranychus urticae, T. ludeni and T. lambi
  • Thrips, Thrips tabaci and Frankliniella schultzei

[edit] Diseases

See also: List of cotton diseases

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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