Dr. Seshadri "Ram" Ramkumar of Texas Tech University's Institute of Environmental and Human Health has developed several novel uses of cotton in protective garments for the U.S. military, such as non-woven cotton fabrics containing activated charcoal for protection against chemical warfare agents, which can be used by the US military.

While some of the end products dictate the use of synthetic fibers, like Kevlar, due to their protective qualities, Ramkumar theorized that the addition of cotton can significantly enhance the comfort care of the fabric. His group presented a paper on the research during the 2006 Beltwide's Cotton Quality Measurements Conference.

To better understand the role cotton can play in some of these textiles and determine whether different cotton varieties had different properties, Ramkumar teamed with Delta and Pine Land Company (breeder of the largest diversity of cotton varieties) and Dr. David McAlister (formerly head of the USDA-ARS textile lab in Clemson and now at Ulster Technologies). Tests were conducted to screen diverse germplasm for comfort care performance. The research used a precise measure of Moisture Vapor Permeability (MVP) to determine how well cotton fabric transports moisture giving the cotton comfort necessary to dissipate sweat.

As the old saying goes "it is better to be lucky than good" which could certainly be the case in this research as the best fabrics tested so far have been developed from DP 555 BG/RR, the country's number one variety for three years running. Although much work remains to be done before DP 555 BG/RR can be making soldiers lives a little bit more comfortable, consumers of U.S. grown cotton are already benefiting from enhanced comfort since approximately 25% of the bales grown in the U.S. last year were DP 555 BG/RR. With highly popular fabrics treatments like permanent press and stain resistance negatively impacting cotton's comfort, use of U.S. grown cotton in these fabrics should increase their comfort value to consumers.

Odds are that the "triple nickel" will be the top variety again in 2006 for its yield potential, but now U.S. farmers have another reason to plant this popular variety - it's comfortable for their wallet as well as making the khakis they keep the wallet in more comfortable!

Delta and Pine Land Company is a leading commercial breeder, producer and marketer of cotton planting seed. Headquartered in Scott, Mississippi, with multiple offices in eight states and facilities in several foreign countries, D&PL also breeds, produces and markets soybean planting seed in the U.S.