Enzyme treatment of honeydew-contaminated cotton fiber
2001
Hendrix, D.L. | Henneberry, T.J. | Chu, C.C. | Coates, W.E.
Cotton fiber contaminated with insect honeydew causes serious processing problems in cotton gins and textile mills. The use of a carbohydrate-degrading enzyme to reduce the stickiness of honeydew-contaminated cotton was tested in a system designed to simulate cotton modules. Miniature cotton modules consisting of 1.8-m3 plastic-lined wooden boxes were packed with seed cotton contaminated with sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), honeydew. Treatments were a factorial arrangement of 0-, 295-, and 824-enzyme units/kg seed cotton at 8, 10 and 12% seed cotton moisture. As the seed cotton was packed into the boxes each kg was sprayed with carbohydrate-degrading enzyme in water at rates of between 0.08- and 0.26-L/kg seed cotton. The cotton in these boxes was compressed to a density of 146 to 216 kg/m3. The thermal behavior and stickiness of the seed cotton in the simulated modules, and the length, strength, and color of the cotton fiber were measured during a six-week storage period. Sprays containing medium or high enzyme rates and 8% lint moisture content did reduce the stickiness and extractable sugar content of the fiber but at higher rates of enzyme application moduled cotton became discolored after extended module storage.
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