ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to determine through a relatively small screening experiment the effect that a new technology, the Lewis Cotton Moisture System, has on the uniform application of moisture in a cotton bale during building, the moisture retention of the bale during long-term storage, and the influence it has on the bale's fiber quality parameters. Bales of normal (≈ 5 percent), six percent, eight percent, and ten percent moisture content were produced in a commercial Southeast gin. The test bales were government classed at the Memphis classing office after ginning and after one year of storage. Also, samples of all bales, captured in airtight glass Mason jars, were tested for moisture content, and after conditioning in a standard atmosphere for Zellweger Uster Advanced Fiber Information System (AFIS) fiber qualities. After the one-year storage period, one bale each of the four test conditions was opened for moisture retention tests, dust level, gram negative and total bacteria, and fungi tests.

Immediately after ginning and being brought to equilibrium in the Memphis classing office laboratory, the data show that bales having the higher levels of moisture restoration had higher fiber strength and color +b values. No statistics were performed because of the small sample size, only data observations of trends are reported for this portion of the screening experiment.

The data also show that the fiber strength observed in the USDA HVI (high volume instrument) data aided the cotton to withstand the rigors of the opening roller of the AFIS instrument resulting in a reduction in short fiber content. Seed coat neps and immature fiber content were less in the bales having higher moisture content.

After one year in storage, tests on one bale from each of the three higher moisture restoration conditions showed a trend towards lower fiber strength and a slight drop in color reflectance, and a small increase in yellowness. The one year stored bales also showed that much of the restored moisture still existed in the higher moisture content bales, and that the higher moisture content bales had significantly less gram negative and total bacteria, and less fungi than the lower moisture content bales.

Further studies are underway to obtain a larger sample size so that applicable statistics can be performed to determine the influence of the Lewis Cotton Moisture System on fiber quality when restoring moisture to cotton at the battery condenser.