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Submitted to: Textile Research Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 3/26/1997 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Cotton yarn and textile producers have been forced by global competition to adopt more efficient manufacturing technology. The speed of this new technology necessitates cotton that can produce stronger yarn. Breeders have made steady gains in improving yarn strength in the last 50 years. This progress might be increased with a more thorough understanding of the fiber traits that contribute to yarn strength. Yarn strength is very expensive to measure, currently about 30 dollars per sample. Fiber properties such as strength and length may be measured for four dollars per sample. Because of the high cost, breeders can only measure yarn strength in late generations of selection. This research was conducted to assess individual fiber properties such as length, strength, and fineness that might be used by breeders to develop germplasm with better yarn tenacity. We found that selection for the combination of fiber length, strength, and fineness resulted in improved yarn strength. Commercial breeders may use these principles to improve the yarn strength of cotton varieties. Technical Abstract: Improved cotton yarn tenacity is needed by the textile industry as manufacturing speeds increase, placing greater strain on cotton yarns. To improve yarn tenacity, breeders have traditionally relied on fiber tenacity as an indirect measure because direct measurement of yarn tenacity is too expensive when evaluating large populations. This study was conducted to assess the standard fiber properties including 2.5% and 50% fiber span length, elongation, Micronaire reading, Stelometer fiber tenacity, and the arealometer measured fiber properties as selection criteria for the improvement of yarn tenacity. A breeding population consisting of 25 cotton lines was grown for two years at two locations near Florence, SC. Lint from each experimental genetic line in this population was spun into 27 tex (22 Ne) yarn with equipment appropriate for miniature spinning evaluations. Of the standard fiber properties, selection for 50% fiber span length resulted in the greatest gain in yarn tenacity. Simultaneous selection for low Micronaire reading, long 50% fiber span length, and high fiber tenacity resulted in more gain in yarn tenacity than selection for single fiber or arealometer traits. Overall, these data indicate that the arealometer fiber properties were not as useful as the standard fiber properties as selection criteria to improve yarn tenacity. |
