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Cotton Fiber Quality and Seed Viability as Affected by Rainfall During the Bursting Period
Dissertation Abstract:
The effect of different wetting treatments on fiber characters (staple length, fiber micronaire, and tensile strength) and seed viability at different dates of germination (at harvest, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks after harvest) of three cotton varieties were studied under greenhouse and field conditions.
On the wetting treatments, continuous wetting of bolls during the bursting period for seven days resulted in shorter, coarser fiber, and concomitantly lower fiber strength under both greenhouse and field conditions. Better fiber qualities (longer, finer, and stronger) were found in bolls that were not exposed to any wetting treatments of bolls exposed to dry condition during the bursting period.
In general, there were negative correlations between fiber micronaire and tensile strength in the greenhouse and between staple length and fiber micronaire under field condition, but not between and among other fiber characters. Seed viability decreased as the bolls were wet during the bursting period, and the effect was further aggravated whenever wetting was prolonged. Seed viability decreased significantly with time, reaching 69 percent at three months for bolls that were exposed to seven days of continuous wetting under greenhouse and field conditions, respectively. In contrast, the unwet bolls during the bursting period maintained higher seed viability (95-92) for three months.