MULTAN, Aug 25 (APP):Director Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI) Multan Sabahat Hussain on Tuesday urged cotton growers to ensure clean picking of contamination-free, high-quality cotton. In a statement issued here,she said better quality and higher prices depended directly on careful and clean picking. Amid prevailing moisture and humidity following recent rains,she advised growers to complete picking from fully opened bolls before the expected rainfall to protect seed cotton from moisture …
CCRI urges growers to ensure clean cotton picking
MULTAN, Aug 25 (APP):Director Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI) Multan Sabahat Hussain on Tuesday urged cotton growers to ensure clean picking of contamination-free, high-quality cotton.
In a statement issued here,she said better quality and higher prices depended directly on careful and clean picking. Amid prevailing moisture and humidity following recent rains,she advised growers to complete picking from fully opened bolls before the expected rainfall to protect seed cotton from moisture and contamination.
Picking should begin in the morning after overnight moisture and humidity had subsided,she said,adding that cotton with excessive moisture could heat up during storage,affecting lint colour and reducing seed germination capacity.
Growers should pick only from fully opened bolls and avoid partially opened or immature ones,she said,adding that picked seed cotton must be kept free of leaves,trash,strings,ropes,hair and other unwanted material.
Women pickers should use cotton cloth bags or picking aprons instead of synthetic or plastic materials to prevent contamination.
Rain-affected seed cotton should never be mixed with dried cotton and should instead be dried separately in sunlight,she said,adding that it should be sent for ginning only once moisture content fell below 10 percent.
For seed purposes,only healthy,properly dried cotton should be stored with moisture content maintained between 8 and 10 percent.
The CCRI director said strict compliance with these guidelines would help growers fetch better prices in domestic and international markets while enhancing the overall reputation and quality of Pakistani cotton.
She appealed to growers to adopt these precautionary measures this season to ensure clean,high-quality and contamination-free cotton production.
