Cotton has a disadvantage in textile mills because it is difficult to supply consistently uniform quality fiber to mills. Synthetic fibers do not have this problem. Early set bolls are believed to have superior fiber quality to that of late set bolls. This two-year study addressed the impact of where the boll developed on the plant, as well as when the boll was set, on measured fiber and seed quality characteristics.

Fiber length and strength were highest for early set bolls and both decreased during the season. Variations in cool germination percentage of seed and green to red dye of fabric were almost totally under the control of position on the plant. Bolls produced at first positions on fruiting branches (FB1) produced superior quality seed and produced fiber which dyed more red. Seed index, seed per boll, boll size, linear density of fiber, fiber perimeter, fiber immaturity, micronaire, percent fiber CV, percent yam CV, percent short fiber, fiber and yarn elongation percentage, and neps were affected by both time of bloom and position on the plant. These studies suggest fiber quality could be increased and variation reduced within a grower's field if a new system of cotton production were developed which had a larger percentage of yield coming from FB1 positions and where light penetration to lower bolls was increased. Columnar plant types in narrow-row production systems may meet these objectives.