Advances in Cotton Science and Technology in China

Wang Ruohai


 
ABSTRACT

Cotton production and development of cultural techniques have a history over about 2000 years. In 1949, when new China was founded, the total lint yield was 444,000 t, ranking fourth in cotton production in the world. In the 1980's, new China's annual total lint yield averaged 4,004 million t in the whole country, being 9 times that of 1949, and ranking first in the world cotton production. In 1949, the average cotton yield per unit area was 165 kg/ha (11 kg/mu), and amounted to 74 kg/ha (49.5 kg/mu) in the 1980's. New China became one of the largest cotton producing countries. Fiber quality has been greatly improved since that time. At an earlier period after the founding of new China, the average staple length of cotton was 1mm. Now the average fiber length is about 8 mm. The extra long staple cotton has a fiber length over 35 mm. Other indices of fiber quality have been considerably improved, too. Cotton produced can essentially meet the demand of textile industry and the various needs in the people's daily life. A part of raw cotton and textiles was exported.

The great achievements in China's cotton growing area are closely related with the development of cotton science and technology. Cotton science and technology in China was developed on the basis of conventional cotton growing techniques, closely linked up with actual cotton production, and learning from the examples of advanced foreign cotton science and technology. The chief advances and achievements in the past forty years are as follows.



Reprinted from 1992 Proceedings Beltwide Cotton Conferences pp. 599 - 602
©National Cotton Council, Memphis TN

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Document last modified Sunday, Dec 6 1998