Technical Abstract: The negative perception some consumers currently share regarding agricultural chemicals has resulted in an increase in demand for organic food and fiber, and increasing political pressures for stringent regulation of agricultural production practices. This has revived interest in thermal defoliation of cotton, and resulted in a prototype machine that improves on concepts first developed half a century ago. A device treating cotton plants with hot air resulted in defoliation rates approaching 80%, facilitated early picking, and also eliminated insects responsible for cotton stickiness.