ABSTRACT

The overall quality of the 2003 American Upland cotton crop, which totaled about 16.1 million bales as of December 25, is significantly higher than that of the previous years. This crop harvest was later than normal throughout most of the cotton belt. Favorable weather conditions at harvest time allowed for much of the crop to avoid the deterioration that was experienced during the 2002 harvest in much of the cotton belt. As a result of this weather, average fiber quality measurements were higher for color grade, leaf grade and extraneous matter. Staple length was longer when compared to the 2002 crop. Micronaire was down slightly and the length uniformity index remained at about the same level. The average strength increased significantly and was higher than any of the previous five crop years.