Considerations for Ginning
PICKING: TIMING AND MAINTENANCE
- The timing of picking is a balance between waiting for all the cotton to be ready for picking and the risk of weathering damage from inclement weather.
- Picking too early can result in yield decline due to unopened bolls not being picked, and increased trash levels with green leaf in the sample.
- Extra lint cleaning required to remove leaf can impact on fibre quality, in terms of staple length, uniformity, short fibre content, neps and reduce turnout.
- Ensure spindles, doffer cylinders and moisture tower pads are in alignment, and clean the spindles. Close the pressure doors so they are tight enough to ensure the most cotton and least amount of trash is picked from the plant and adjust head height and angle to allow bottom bolls to be harvested without scooping dirt into the sample.
- Proper cleaning and servicing of the picker before, during and after picking will result in better performance and lowers the potential of a fire. Take care that the wrap components are clean and free from debris.
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MODULE LOCATION
- Similar principles apply for round modules as they do for conventional modules. Ideally modules should be placed on flat, clean and well drained pads with enough space to allow easy access for vehicles and staff.
- Depositing round modules at the head or tail drain areas is preferable, as this action limits the possibility of snagging plant material and damaging the integrity of the plastic as the round module is relocated from the field to the staging area for transport.
- In terms of conventional modules, tarps should be checked for holes, tears and fraying edges pre-season, and repaired. They should be kept in a dry, vermin free store to ensure their quality and long life.
- In terms of round modules, store rolls of plastic wrap in their original packaging in an enclosed shed to avoid exposure to direct sunlight and moisture. Considerations with round modules should be around the drop off points. Significant wrap tears must be repaired in the field prior to loading on module truck to prevent further wrap damage and ginning problems.
MODULE MOISTURE CONTENT
- Ideally a module should have a moisture content ranging from 10-12%. At this percentage, little heat is required to condition the seed cotton as it goes into the gin. As the moisture content increases, heat is required to remove trash.
- At high moisture content, the fibre can be further degraded by microorganisms, leading to colour downgrades, spotted cotton and reduced strength. There are three factors which can influence the moisture content of a module.
CONTAMINATION
Australian cotton has a very clean, contamination free reputation. While this reputation allows Australian growers to sell their cotton for a premium, it can also negatively impact the price received for the crops with contamination. Contaminated modules can lead to downgraded cotton and associated merchant discounts and gin machinery damage and fires. It can result from:
- Improper defoliation.
- Carelessness and house keeping.
- Machinery breakdown
© Cotton Seed Distributors Ltd 2022. General guide only; not comprehensive or specific technical advice. Circumstances vary from farm to farm. To the fullest extent permitted by law, CSD expressly disclaims all liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information, statement or opinion in this document or from any errors or omissions in this document. Roundup Ready Flex®, Roundup Ready®, Bollgard II® and Bollgard® 3 are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technologies LLC, used under licence by Monsanto Australia Ltd. Insect control technology incorporated into these seeds is commercialised under a licence from Syngenta Crop Protection AG. Sicot, Sicala, Siokra and Sipima cotton varieties are a result of a joint venture research program, Cotton Breeding Australia, conducted by CSIRO and Cotton Seed Distributors Ltd (CSD). CSD is a partner in the CottonInfo joint venture, in partnership with Cotton Research Development Corporation and Cotton Australia.