Fiber

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Fiber
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Introduction

• Types - according to botanical origin
• Surface Fibers - produced on surface of leaves,
  fruits and seeds
• Cotton textiles, filler
• Soft (bast) fibers - produced in the bark
  (external to the xylem) of plants - stems
• Flax linen, paper
• Hemp rope, twine
• Jute - burlap

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Introduction

• Types
• Hard Fibers - vein-like supporting tissue mainly
  found in monocot leaves
• Abaca plant - resistant to water deterioration
• marine rope
• Henequen - rope and twine
• Sisal - rope and twine
• Wood - stems of plants
• lumber

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Cotton (Gossypium spp.)

• History and Origin
• Origin unknown
• 5,000 year-old textiles in Pakistan
• U.S. history - first grown in Virginia in 1607
• evidence of cotton grown in Arizona up to 800
  years ago

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Cotton (Gossypium spp.)

• Production
• World gt 98 million bales (480 lbs.)
• China 24.5 million bales/yr
• U.S. 20 million bales/yr
• India 12 million bales/yr

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Cotton (Gossypium spp.)

• Production
• U.S.
• Texas 6 million bales/yr
• 25 counties surrounding Lubbock 3-4 million
  bales/yr
• Mississippi
• California

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Cotton (Gossypium spp.)

• Production
• Increase began in 1790
• Textile mill Sam Slater
• Cotton gin Eli Whitney

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Cotton (Gossypium spp.)

• Types
• Upland - Gossypium hirsutum
• 95 of U.S. cotton grown
• Fibers are variable length (2-3 cm)
• Egyptian - Gossypium barbadense
• 5 grown
• Fibers 5 cm long
• Asiatic - Gossypium arboreum and herbaceum
• Not grown in U.S.

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Cotton (Gossypium spp.)

• Harvest types
• Stripper
• Grown in High Plains area
• Held tightly in boll necessary due to high
  winds, rain, etc.
• Burr, lint and seed pulled off plant
• Picker
• Lint and seed pulled out of burr and leaves burr
  in field.
• Held loosely in boll

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Cotton (Gossypium spp.)

• Uses
• Burrs - livestock feed, soil amendment
• Lint -textile industry
• Seed - planting seed, oil, meal
• gossypol toxic to monogastric animals
• Non-gossypol varieties