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[R] Gossypium spp. (Malvaceae).
Fr: Cotonier; Ge: Baumwolle; Sp: Alyodcen; It: Cotone; Pt: Algodoeiro.
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- Perennial plant, with a taproot, cultivated since very ancient times (in the Nile valley by the Egyptians and in Central America by the Aztecs), for its textile fibres that come from the long bristles that encircle the seeds (*) .
- In Europe, cotton is cultivated in Greece and Turkey as well as in the extreme southern part of Spain.
- There are many varieties in cultivation, all resulting from crosses of the four principal, original species.
- Harvest occurs 6 to 7 months after seeding and the fibres are separated from the seeds (shelling). The fibres are assembled into balls for treatment in the textile industry. Cultivation of cotton has declined since the appearance of synthetic fibres; but new markets have developed: use of the oleoprotinaceous seeds in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In addition, the plant is very melliferous.
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- Diseases: the diseases are numerous. Worth mentioning are bacterial disease, fusarium infection, verticillium wilt and a viral disease (the cotton leaf curl virus CLCuV) that results in the curling of the leaves.
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- Principal European pests: the most important are Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) (Lep., Gelechiidae), and Earias insulana (Boisduval) (Lep., Noctuidae), that attack the capsules; the cotton leafworm (Spodoptera littoralis) attacks the leaves.
Nematodes and the melon and cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii) also inflict damage.

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HYPPZ on line: Species (scientific names), Pests (common names), Glossary, Crops.

HYP3 : HYPP Phytopathology.

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