Question

Cotton fiber is obtained from
(a)Seed coat
(b)Stem
(c)Leaves
(d)Root

Answer 1

Hint: This is present in higher plant parts and protects the embryo from physical and adverse environmental conditions like temperature changes, or water damage. It develops from the integument of the ovule.

Complete answer:
Gossypium also is known as cotton is a genus of flowering plants and is a Kharif crop. It is almost purely made of cellulose as this constitutes 90% of cotton seed hair and is soft and fluffy. The stapled fiber grows as a protective case known as seed coat around the seeds. Cotton is native to tropical and subtropical countries like America, Africa, Egypt, and India. The fiber of cotton is not fiber and is actually a trichome but is adopted to describe the long hairs on the cottonseed. The fiber comes from the growth of a single epidermal cell and is the hair that grows out of seed coats. The fibers are maturing within as the ball of cotton grows. The ball begins to slit open around four months of its growth. The seed has about 10 to 20 thousand fibers. As the boll matures the fibers lose water and eventually die. Therefore it collapses and appears as a flattened twisted tube. Cotton is an important crop for many farmers as it is used in the textile industry, paper industry, etc.
So, the correct answer is ‘Seed coat’.

Note: In 2002 India developed Bt cotton seeds and has reduced the use of pesticides. India is now the largest cotton producer in the world because of the introduction of Bt cotton. Bt cotton produces a common soil bacterium, Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) which is a natural pest repelling bacteria that is toxic to many worms and pests.