Editing Cotton (section)

{{Short description|Plant fiber from the genus Gossypium}}
{{Other uses}}
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{{Cotton sidebar}}

'''Cotton''' ({{Etymology|ar|qutn}}), first recorded in [[ancient India]], is a soft, fluffy [[staple fiber]] that grows in a [[wikt:boll|boll]], or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''[[Gossypium]]'' in the mallow family [[Malvaceae]]. The fiber is almost pure [[cellulose]], and can contain minor percentages of [[wax]]es, [[fat]]s, [[pectin]]s, and [[water]]. Under natural conditions, the cotton bolls will increase the dispersal of the seeds.

The plant is a [[shrub]] native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, Africa, Egypt and India. The greatest diversity of wild cotton species is found in Mexico, followed by Australia and Africa.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080625045134/http://www.ogtr.gov.au/pdf/ir/biologycotton08.pdf The Biology of ''Gossypium hirsutum'' L. and ''Gossypium barbadense'' L. (cotton)]. ogtr.gov.au</ref> Cotton was independently domesticated in the Old and New Worlds.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Evolution of Cotton |url=https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/cotton/evolution |website=Learn.Genetics |access-date=22 March 2023}}</ref>

The fiber is most often [[Spinning (textiles)|spun]] into [[yarn]] or thread and used to make a soft, [[breathable]], and durable [[textile]]. The use of cotton for fabric is known to date to prehistoric times; fragments of cotton fabric dated to the fifth millennium BC have been found in the [[Indus Valley civilization]], as well as fabric remnants dated back to 4200 BC in [[Peru]].
Although cultivated since antiquity, it was the invention of the [[cotton gin]] that lowered the cost of production and led to its widespread use, and it is the most widely used [[natural fiber]] cloth in clothing today.

Current estimates for world production are about 25 million [[tonne]]s or 110 million [[Cotton bale|bales]] annually, accounting for 2.5% of the world's [[arable land]]. India is the world's largest producer of cotton. The United States has been the largest exporter for many years.<ref name="natfibr2009">{{cite web|url-status=dead |url=http://www.naturalfibres2009.org/en/fibres/cotton.html|title=Natural fibres: Cotton|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903094603/http://www.naturalfibres2009.org/en/fibres/cotton.html|archive-date=3 September 2011 |website=2009 International Year of Natural Fibres }}</ref>

[[File:BALLS OF COTTON (ANDHRA -SOUTH INDIA) READY FOR HARVEST.jpg|thumb|Cotton ready for harvest in [[Andhra Pradesh]], India.]]