Definitions and terms in cotton production

Bale : A bale of cotton lint weighs from 218 to 225 kg (480 to 500 lbs). Once cotton is harvested, it is stored in bales, and 13 to 15 bales are stored in large modules for protection against the weather. The modules are stored in the field or on the gin yard until ginning is done.

Boll: The cotton fruit. It consists of burrs (the shell), fibers and seeds. The bolls start to develop following pollination and go through 3 phases: enlargement (3 weeks), filling (3 weeks), and maturation. Under typical conditions, approximately 50 days of growth are needed after pollination for the boll to open prior to harvesting.

Cut out: The growth stage when the flower development ceases.

First square: The initial square formed on a fruiting branch.

Flowering: The blooming period of the cotton plant. This stage can last for 6 weeks or more.

Ginning: The process that separates the cotton fibers from the cotton seeds. Perfect ginning is when the seed is separated from the fiber without injury to seeds or fiber. The ginning is normally done by a ginning machine. The term “gin” is an abbreviation for engine, and means “machine”.

Match head: The second stage of square development following the pinhead stage.

Peak bloom: Period of maximum bloom production, proceeded by stages of early bloom and cut out.

Pinhead: The very first stage at which a new square can be identifies.

Square: A fruiting bud that forms at the initiation of a fruiting branch.