Back to basics

As Sally-Ann started her research of the cotton grown in India she realized she had to go back to the basics. She needed to forget everything she knows about cotton in the USA and start learning about the production in India as if she knew nothing about the subject.  And so she began…

The plant Gossypuim or better known as cotton is believed to have originated in South-America. It was the Inka and Aztec civilizations that first started using the fibers for clothing and other purposes.  It was until Christopher Columbus “discovered” America that cotton started to replace the usual wool clothing used in Europe to cotton clothing. Cotton was way more comfortable and lighter.

The origin of the genus Gossypium is dated to be around 5 to 10 million years ago.  There are approximately 50 varieties of cotton, nevertheless the G. hirsutum specie compromises 90% of the world production.  

G. hirsutum and G.arboreum are grown in all the major growing states in India.

She also learned about the taxonomy of cotton and she found out that cotton is classified as following: 

• Kingdom: Uridiplantae

• Phylum: Streptophyta

•  Class: Rosidae

• Order: Malvales

• Family: Malvceae

• Genus: Gossypsim

• Specie: Hirustum L

•    Long staple cotton: longest fiber 24-27 mm.

•    Medium staple cotton: Length of fiber 20mm-24mm

•    Short staple cotton: length of fiber less than 20mm

•     The oldest cotton fiber ever found was originally form Peru.

•     Indian populations mastered the art of dying cotton and they kept the secret from the    Europeans for many years as a way to show power.

•     Cotton seeds are extremely durable. They can be blown by the wind across an entire ocean and still remain reliable

•     Cotton has been cultivated for over 5,000 years across the world (including in India). Despite the geographic divide between cotton farmers, the crop has been cleaned, prepared, spun and weaved in the same manner everywhere

•     Naturally colored cotton varieties in South America have come in shades of red, yellow, beige, chocolate, pink, purple, green, striped like a tiger and even spotted like a leopard.

•     Cotton can absorb up to 27 times its own weight in water

The types of cotton grown in India can be divided in three.

a.   The fiber is long and shinning making fine and superior quality cloth

b.   Best price

c.    Half the production of India

a.   44% of Indian production

a.   Inferior cotton

b.   Used for inferior cloth

c.    Lowest price

Fun facts: