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Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 2/15/1997 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Breeders involved in the genetic improvement of fiber quality need an understanding of the inheritance of fiber properties that contribute to textile performance. This book chapter brings together in a single volume a comprehensive review of literature pertaining to cotton fiber quality. Fiber length parameters that yarn manufacturers employ to produce a certain size yarn were found to be highly heritable and of relatively simple genetic control. The implication is that their modification would be relatively straightforward. Priorities for breeding with respect to fiber length parameters are to reduce short fiber content and improve fiber length uniformity. Fiber bundle strength is another useful fiber property that directly relates to yarn strength. Heritability of fiber strength is generally high and is amenable to improvement through breeding. Fiber wax content is a property that has received little attention from breeders. Recent publications demonstrating the relationship between wax content and textile processing efficiency indicate that this fiber property should be emphasized by breeders. Yarn manufacturers have recently asked for cotton varieties that produce a finer fiber to promote more efficient textile processing with new high-speed equipment. The few studies that have addressed this issue have shown that within coarse textured yarns, breeders do not need separate objectives to meet the fiber quality needs of the new spinning equipment. Technical Abstract: This book chapter makes available to breeders a single volume containing a comprehensive review of the literature pertaining to cotton fiber quality. Breeding priorities among fiber length parameters should target reducing short fiber content and improving length uniformity while maintaining 2.5% span length and upper half mean length. Fiber strength is generally highly heritable and may be conditioned by as few as two loci when the high strength parent is of triple hybrid origin. Components of bundle fiber strength reported in a single study showed that single fiber strength, 50% span length, and perimeter explained a large portion of the variation in bundle strength among a set of advanced breeding lines. Breeders might make more progress in improving fiber bundle strength by use of indirect selection for one or more of the components of bundle strength. Fiber wax content has received little attention from breeders. Recent publications have shown the contribution of wax to yarn strength and textile performance, and this fiber property should be further studied. Yarn manufacturers that have adopted open-end spinning have asked for cotton varieties with finer and stronger fiber. Studies that have addressed this issue indicate that within relatively coarse yarn counts of 40 or below, the same fiber properties that contribute to ring spinning performance also benefit rotor spinning. Separate breeding programs for each yarn spinning technology do not seem warranted. |
