Cotton is typically removed from plants using specialized machinery, although hand-picking is also an option.
Here's a breakdown:
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Mechanical Harvesting:
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Cotton Pickers: These machines are widely used and employ rotating spindles to twist and pull the seed cotton from the opened boll (the cotton's protective casing). Doffers then remove the cotton from the spindles. This method is efficient and reduces the need for manual labor.
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Cotton Strippers: These machines harvest cotton by stripping the entire boll from the plant, along with some leaves and stems. This method is typically used when the cotton is fully mature and the bolls are completely open.
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Manual Harvesting (Hand-Picking):
- In some regions or on smaller farms, cotton is still harvested by hand. This involves manually plucking the cotton fibers from the opened bolls. While labor-intensive, hand-picking can result in higher quality cotton, as it allows for selective harvesting and reduces contamination.
Therefore, the method for removing cotton from plants depends on factors like scale of operation, available resources, and desired quality of the harvested cotton.
