Location: Cotton Production and Processing Research
Project Number: 3096-30600-001-000-D
Project Type: In-House Appropriated
Start Date: Apr 17, 2025
End Date: Apr 16, 2030
Objective:
Objective 1: Develop advancements in Upland and Extra Long Staple (ELS) cotton harvesting technologies that maximize field productivity, harvest efficiency, and profitability.
Sub-objective 1.A: Assessing the effects of harvest moisture and storage duration on seed cotton stored in cylindrical modules.
Sub-objective 1.B: Improving the productivity and profitability of cotton through new harvest and post-harvest processing systems.
Objective 2: Develop advancements in Upland and ELS cotton ginning technologies for enhanced fiber cleanliness, mitigation of contamination, preservation of fiber quality, and improved profitability.
Sub-objective 2.A: Development of equipment to eliminate contaminants from cotton during post-production processing.
Sub-objective 2.B: Development of gin process optimization tools based on artificial intelligence.
Objective 3: Develop advancements in Upland and ELS cotton post-ginning technologies that enhance the utilization and sustainability of cotton products and coproducts, reduce the carbon footprint of processing and production, develop and evaluate green energy options, and improve economic value of cotton products and coproducts.
Sub-objective 3.A: Development of technologies for early detection, warning, and mitigation of combustion in cottonseed, peanut, and byproduct storage facilities.
Sub-objective 3.B: Value-added processing to reduce the carbon footprint and improve the economic value of cotton products/coproducts.
Approach:
This five-year project plan addresses critical harvesting, ginning, and post-gin processing issues facing cotton producers and processors in the United States. Our plan of work is based on an interactive research approach which is focused on the development of processes and systems for preserving cotton quality during infield storage and ginning, removing foreign material and contaminants from seed cotton during harvesting and ginning, mitigating fires from cottonseed storage locations, and increasing the value of cotton byproducts through value-added processing into products that enhance the sustainability of cotton. The research plan detailed herein addresses the development of new technologies, methods, and strategies for reducing the economic and environmental costs of cotton harvest, ginning, and post-gin processing of Upland and Extra Long Staple cotton and cotton byproducts. Commercial viability of the research is a key component of any problem solution. Figure 1 illustrates how the proposed objectives of this plan fit into the U.S. cotton production and processing system and the anticipated outcomes from the research. This project includes stakeholder involvement which is important to this research and helpful in gauging progress via informal discussions throughout the year as well as annual liaison meetings. These meetings and regular interaction with our stakeholders foster transparency, advance industry collaboration, strengthen support for extramural funding, and ensure that our research focus is aligned with industry needs and ultimately providing timely solutions.