While reaping is the final measure in the production of cotton crops, it is the vitally important phase. The flower buds must be harvested before weather can ruin the quality of the crop.

Iran (IMNA) - Flower buds pops up on cotton plants about two months after sowing. Three weeks later, the bolls become brown and burst open, then the fluffy cotton erupt; this is the time when cotton crops are fully mature and ready for harvesting.

Traditionally, cotton fields are being picked by hand. As the bolls would mature at different rates, they should not leave unreaped until all of them get matured since the quality of the cotton would be degenerated as soon as the bolls burst forth.

When the time of harvesting begins, farmers move through the cotton shrubs with sacks that would weigh up to 100 pounds when getting full. As the bracts of the bolls get dry, then they would turn into sharp object causing hands bloody; it is a labor-intensive operation in a real sense! Let's see some shots on cotton harvesting peocess in East Azerbaijan Province.

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