Production Dictionary

Boll

The boll is the rounded mature fruit of the cotton plant. It is made up of separate compartments which are called locks, in which cotton seeds and lint grow. These open at harvest time. An average boll will contain nearly 500,000 cotton fibers. A typical cotton plant will have about 6 bolls of about 2 grams of fiber each, but in very productive environments could have as many as 20 bolls.