Photosynthesis is one of the most, if not THE most, important plant processes. The production of carbohydrates determines the ability of a plant to produce fruit and that is the ultimate goal of cotton production as a business. Many facets of crop management are, in reality, management of the photosynthetic factory. Interruption of the photosynthetic factory, due to some limiting factor (i.e. water, nutrients, light), can greatly alter the plant's ability to produce and retain fruiting forms during the reproductive cycle. It is imperative, therefore, that we attain and enlarge a sound understanding of photosynthesis. The knowledge that we have in our grasp is small compared with what is to be learned. A multitude of researchable questions exist and include, how and why carbohydrate is stored within the plant, why photosynthetic patterns differ amongst years or how hormonal fluxes within the plant impact photosynthesis during growth. Molecular techniques provide a new tool for studying these questions. To do so, however, societal and political attitudes toward basic research must be altered.