World Cotton Day 2022: 5 Interesting Facts About Cotton

Cotton is a versatile plant that is mostly utilised in the textile business, while it is also employed in industries such as food, animal feed, medicinal, bookbinding, and other industries.

Worker holding cotton in a cotton field in Gujarat (Image Source: Getty)

Source : Getty

New Delhi: World Cotton Day is celebrated every year on October 7 and this year marks the third anniversary celebration of this international event. India is one of the world's biggest cotton growers. Cotton is a versatile plant that is mostly utilised in the textile business, while it is also employed in industries such as food, animal feed, medicinal, bookbinding, and other industries.

World Cotton Day 2022: 5 Interesting Facts About Cotton

Here are some interesting facts about cotton:

1. The entire cotton plant comes to use and as a result of which, there is no waste. The main purpose for farming cotton is for fiber. However, the seeds are also utilised for human consumption (cottonseed oil). After harvesting, the plant stalks are ploughed back into the ground.

2. Not just on earth, cotton even grows in space! Cotton seeds were sent to the far side of the moon by the Chinese spacecraft Chang'e 4. China claims that cottonseed from that quantity began to sprout inside the spaceship on the moon's Von Kármán Crater in January 2019. Sadly, soon after, the plants perished from the cold of the moon.

3. Cotton is a big part of the jeans and denim we love to wear. A hardy cotton warp-faced is used to make denim. Around three-fourths of the cotton grown worldwide is used in the textile industry, and up to 90% of the fabric used to make well-known brands like Levi's is produced by this plant. However, denim is primarily a cotton and silk combination, whereas jeans are mostly a cotton and wool blend.

4. Cotton is stronger when it is wet. As opposed to other cellulosic fibers like rayon and wood pulp, which weaken when wet. This is crucial for many items, including wipes and wet medical textiles.

5. Banknotes are made out of cotton. Many people believe that money, or banknotes, is composed of paper. In reality, if banknotes were composed of paper, they would become useless as they were wet. The majority of nations, including the United States, employ a blend of 75% cotton and 25% linen to create banknotes.