How to Grow Cotton ?
About Cotton
Kapok (Ceiba pentandra) is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae (previously separated in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and (as the variety C. pentandra var. guineensis) to tropical west Africa. The word is also used for the fibre obtained from its seed pods. The tree is also known as the Java cotton, Java kapok, Silk cotton or ceiba. It is a sacred symbol in Maya mythology.
The tree grows to 60-70 m (200-230 ft) tall and has a very substantial trunk up to 3 m (10 ft) in diameter with buttresses. The trunk and many of the larger branches are often (but not always) crowded with very large, robust simple thorns. The leaves are compound of 5 to 9 leaflets, each up to 20 cm (8 in) and palm like. Adult trees produce several hundred 15 cm (6 in) seed pods. The pods contain seeds surrounded by a fluffy, yellowish fibre that is a mix of lignin and cellulose.
1 Uses
1.1 Ethno medical uses
Kapok seeds within fibres in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
The fibre is light, very buoyant, resilient and resistant to water. The process of harvesting and separating the fibre is labour-intensive and manual. It is difficult to spin but is used as an alternative to down as filling in mattresses, pillows, upholstery, stuffed toys such as teddy bears, zafus and for insulation. It was previously much used in life jackets and similar devices. Until recently synthetic materials alargely replaced the fibre. The seeds produce an oil used locally in soap and that can be used as fertilizer.
Native tribes along the Amazon River and in the tropical rainforests there harvest the kapok fibre to wrap around their blowgun darts. The fibres create a seal that allows the pressure to force the dart through the tube.
The commercial tree is most heavily cultivated in the rainforests of Asia, notably in Java (hence its nicknames), Philippines, and Malaysia, but also in South America.
The flowers are an important source of nectar and pollen for honeybees.
This tree is the official national tree of Puerto Rico and Guatemala.
Ethnomedical uses
Ceiba pentandra bark decoction has been used as a diuretic, aphrodisiac, and to treat headache, as well as type II diabetes.
Ceiba pentandra is used as an additive to some versions of the hallucinogenic drink Ayahuasca.
Ecological and Evolutionary implication of Bt cotton. Measurement of a single gene difference in two cotton plants by PCR
BIG IDEA Genetic Engineering has allowed agriculture to move into a new dimension of artificial selection of desirable traits for crops. Since the beginning of agriculture, humans have selected for desirable traits in their crops, these traits tend to not be good for the survival of the plants, hence artificial and not natural selection. The new ability to add and remove genes from plants, agriculture now does not need to wait for the plant to evolve the gene during random mutagenesis of its own genome. Plants might not be able to evolve some traits due to limitation of its DNA sequences. For example, we may be able to grow a tail because it is in our genetics, with a simple mutation we may grow a tail, but we do not have the genetics or the ability to evolve suction cups on the bottom of our feet, such as insects have. Never the less, Spiderman is still an amusing fantasy.
This activity will allow you to investigate the single gene difference of a genetically modified organism, Bt cotton. You will discuss the ecological and evolutionary implications of having cotton produce Bt toxin. Bt toxin is a chemical made by a gene found in a bacteria that lives in the soil, Bacillus thuriniensis. The chemical is toxic to some insects that happen to devour agricultural crops. Insertion of Bt gene into these crops has resulted in a dramatic decrease in the amount of pesticides used to grow these crops.
Let us look at two cotton plants, do they look different from each other? If so how and what implications can you make from these observations? You will analyze the DNA of these two plants and determine which one has the gene for Bt cotton. Keeping in mind what a cell does when it replicates DNA, make a list of steps that you think would be necessary for the replication of a single gene by Polymerase Chain Reaction.
What Is BT Cotton?
Cotton Plant
According to the University of Tennessee's Agricultural Extension, Bt Cotton is a genetically modified cotton crop that has one or two genes of a soil bacterium inserted into the seeds of cotton. Bt Cotton is described by the University of Tennessee as producing insecticidal proteins and toxins that reduce the amount of cotton lost to insects.
History
Bt Cotton seeds were introduced by Bollgard Cotton, a trademark of the Monsanto group. Bt Cotton was first introduced to the U.S. in 1996 according to the University of California San Diego and was aimed at reducing the effects of the tobacco budworm and the pink bollworm. Tests began at the same time around the world on crossing the American Bt Cotton seeds with cotton produced in other countries, including India, according to the Science & Development Network. Later versions of Bt Cotton were introduced in 2003 and 2004 aimed at reducing the impact of a wider range of insects than the original version.
Bacterium
The University of California San Diego describes Bt Cotton as containing a bacterium called Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt). The spores of Bt produce crystal proteins which are toxic to many forms of insects, leading to its use as an insecticide. The University of California San Diego reports Bt is found throughout the world in a variety of soils in very small amounts producing thousands of different strains of Bt. The University of California San Diego reports Bt does not produce food poisoning proteins, Despite being a member of the food poisoning Bacillus Cerus family of bacterium; Bt Cotton has a very small chance of cross contamination due to its lack of use in food production.
Benefits
The benefits provided by Bt Cotton are explained by the University of California San Diego as including a reduced cost per acre of between $25 and $65 in the years of 1996 to 1998 from the spraying of insecticides. Bt Cotton crops are estimated by the University of California San Diego to have yielded around 5% more cotton than traditionally grown cotton crops planted during the same time period.
Problems
According to the Science and Development Network, Bt Cotton crops in India are being affected by the bollworm that is becoming resistant to the Bt toxins and proteins produced by Bt Cotton. Bt Cotton is one of the 21 genetically modified crops introduced to 21 countries around the world by 2006. Four of the 21 crops are reported by the Science and Development Network to have been affected by insects resistant to the insecticides initially introduced to the crops.
Insecticide
The insecticide introduced to each version of Bt Cotton is reported by the University of California San Diego to be created to be specific to the insect at which it is aimed. The use of Bt Cotton as an organic form of insecticide is commonly used in organic farming and in aerial spraying of urban areas.
How to Grow Cotton
Though cotton can be found growing wild in many parts of the world, it's widespread cultivation makes it the most common textile fiber now in use. Whether you want to grow American Pima, Egyptian or Upland cotton, all you need is a long sunny growing season, water and fertile soil. Read on to learn more.
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
Cotton seeds
Compost or humus
Soil thermometer
Step 1: Till your soil at least 2 inches deep to eliminate weeds and add an inch of compost or humus. You need to ensure the soil is rich in nitrogen and potassium to grow a strong plant.
Step 2: Drag a garden hoe in a straight line the length of the garden to create a row for planting. If making more than one row, make them about thirty inches apart from each other. Then pre-moisten the soil with a good deep watering.
Step 3: Check the soil temperature using a soil thermometer to ensure it's at least 58 degrees Fahrenheit at six inches deep. If so, and all threat of frost has passed, plant your cotton seeds in moist soil in groups of three. They should be planted an inch deep and the groups should be four inches apart to allow ample room for plants to grow.
Step 4: Refrain from watering the newly planted seeds until four to five weeks after the plants emerge. Then water the small plants through the summer months about every ten days.
Step 5: Stop watering the cotton plants about sixteen weeks after planting. Soon after they stop receiving water, they will start to dry and shed their leaves. The cotton bolls, or pods, will split open allowing the cotton fiber inside to dry.
Step 6: Harvest the cotton when all of the bolls have cracked open and the cotton is a ball of fluff.