Cotton Introduction First described by Linnaeus, the cotton plant, genus Gossypium , is one of the most economically and socially important crops in the world. It is a dicotyledonous plant, having an erect stem with apical growth.
Leaves vary in size, shape, texture, and hairiness.
Flowering branches produce 6 to 8 flowers per branch on average. The cotton plant has a taproot with lateral roots emerging in a tetrarch arrangement. The size of the plant depends on soil, climate, and water conditions as well as the plant variety. Cotton grows best in clay loam soil with a semitropical climate. A warm winter and spring is optimal, with a 6 to 7 month long growing season.