2012 Annual Report 1a.Objectives (from AD-416): To improve the quality of upland cotton by changing the operating parameters of gin stands and lint cleaners. 1b.Approach (from AD-416): Gin stands and lint cleaners are two of the principal machines used to convert raw seed cotton into marketable products of fiber and cottonseed. Improving these machines to produce a higher-quality fiber will make upland cotton more desirable and more competitive in the world market. 3.Progress Report: This SCA is a continuation of work that attempts to remove seed coat fragments (SCFs) from ginned lint on a saw-type lint cleaner. An experiment was run to determine the effectiveness of newly designed lint cleaner grid bars. The experiment consisted of six grid bar designs (five experimental and one control) and two types of cotton. The cotton included a common upland cultivar, and a cultivar known to have a fragile seed coat that breaks easily and contaminates lint with SCFs. Fiber tests will determine which grid bar(s) removed the most SCFs. This research will be the basis for a future journal publication. Communication between Marvis N. Gillum and the ARS PI occurred three days a week.