Question

From which plant part, cotton fibers are obtained
a. Root hairs
b. Stem hairs
c. Leaf
d. Seed coat

Answer 1

Hint: Cotton is a plant of genus Gossypium and family Malvaceae. It is white, fluffy, soft staple fiber grown for commercial use in various industries. The origin of cotton is South East Asia and dated back to 5500 BC. Cotton is also referred to as white gold and the fiber is pure cellulose and included in the shrub category of plants and native to tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

Complete answer:
The cotton fiber grows as a ball or round protective case around the seed of the cotton plant. The fiber of the cotton is spun in yarn or thread to make textiles. Cotton is also referred as king of fibers and back bone of textiles industry. Current estimate of cotton production around the world is about 25 million tonnes annually. India is the world's largest cotton producer in the world. Cotton has 91% cellulose, 0.55% protoplasm, 7.85% water, 0.40% waxes, 0.20% mineral salts in it. Cotton needs a long frost free period for ball formation and is grown in fairly heavy soils with optimum nutrient content in it. The genetically modified cotton Bacillus thuringiensis is widely used due to its resistance from bollworm which destroys the cotton in the field.

Hence, The correct answer is option (D).

Note: There are mainly four varieties of cotton which are grown for cotton purpose, they are Gossypium hirsutum which is native to Central America, Gossypium barbadense which is native to South America, Gossypium arboreum which is native to India and Pakistan and Gossypium herbaceum which is native to South Africa.