GOSSYPIUM

(Redirected from Cotton plant)
:''For information on cotton production, industry, history, and applications, see cotton''.
'''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

Species of ''Gossypium''

Cotton pests and diseases

Pests

See also

External links

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:

★ ''Gossypium arboreum'' L. – Tree cotton, native to India and Pakistan.

★ ''Gossypium barbadense'' L. – known as American Pima, Creole, Egyptian, or Sea island cotton, native to tropical South America.

★ ''Gossypium herbaceum'' L. – Levant cotton, native to southern Africa and Arabian Peninsula.

★ ''Gossypium hirsutum'' L. – Upland cotton, native to Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean and southern Florida - most commonly grown species in the world.
;Non-commercial species

★ ''Gossypium australe'' F.Muell – Endemic to north-western Australia

★ ''Gossypium darwinii'' - Darwin's cotton, found only on the Galapagos Islands

★ ''Gossypium sturtianum'' J.H. Willis – Sturt's Desert Rose, native to Australia.

★ ''Gossypium thurberi'' Tod. – Arizona wild cotton, native to Arizona and northern Mexico.

★ ''Gossypium tomentosum'' Nutt. ex Seem – ''Ma‘o'' or Hawaiian cotton, endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.
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.

Cotton pests and diseases

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.
:
★ 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 caused 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''

★ Stigmatomycosis, caused by the fungi ''Ashbya gossypii'', ''Eremothecium coryli'' ''(Nematospora coryli)'' and ''Aureobasidium pullulans''

See also

★ Cotton

External links

★ Central Institute for Cotton Research (India)