The primary economic value of the cotton plant comes from its fibers, which are obtained from the seed hairs, known as cotton lint. Cotton is a major global fiber crop, and the lint is used to produce textiles and a wide range of cotton-based products. Cotton fibers are valued for their strength, length, and versatility in the textile industry.
The mature seeds are brown ovoids weighing about a tenth of a gram. By weight, they are 60% cotyledon, 32% coat and 8% embryonic root and shoot. These are 20% protein, 20% oil and 3.5% starch. Fibers grow from the seed coat to form a boll of cotton lint. The boll is a protective fruit and when the plant is grown commercially, it is stripped from the seed by ginning and the lint is then processed into cotton fibre. For unit weight of fibre, about 1.6 units of seeds are produced. The seeds are about 15% of the value of the crop and are pressed to make oil and used as ruminant animal feed. About 5% of the seeds are used for sowing the next crop.
High quality and low price cotton seeds
Whole cottonseed is high in protein, fat, fiber and energy. This combination of nutrients in one feed stuff is unusual. Whole cottonseed with the lint still attached is white and fuzzy in appearance. It sometimes is called "fuzzy seed," Whole cottonseed from which the lint has been removed is called delinted seed, is black and smooth in appearance, and tends to be slightly higher in protein and fat than the fuzzy seed.
