Evaluation of Modern Cotton Harvest Systems on Irrigated Cotton: Yarn Quality

The effects of harvest methods (cotton picker vs. cotton stripper) on yarn quality from irrigated cotton harvested on the High Plains of Texas with modern equipment was measured using multiple cultivars from six sites over three years. Few differences were detected in carded yarn quality between harvest treatments, while more pronounced differences favoring picked cotton were seen in combed yarns, especially when fibers were immature. During both 2006 and 2007, the evenness of combed yarns was improved by picking over stripping as measured by yarn CV, thick places, and neps (+200%), and the hairiness of carded yarns was reduced by picking. However, evenness differences between harvest methods were not detected in carded yarns. In 2007, cultivar had a greater impact on yarn quality than harvest treatment. This study represents the first commercial-scale harvester comparison project conducted in the High Plains region and the first study to analyze the effects of harvest method on ring-spun yarn quality from a traditional production system.