Factors Affecting Mean Fiber Diameter in Selected Pakistani Sheep Breeds/Crosses

ABSTRACT

Mean fiber diameter (MFD) is the main characteristic of processed wool that determines its use in the textile industry. Selected Pakistani sheep breeds/crosses were investigated for analysis of MFD. Overall, the Kari breed was found to have the lowest MFD (24 ± 0.31 µm) whereas, the Balkhi-cross had the highest MFD (28 ± 0.43 µm). MFD was found to be affected by breed/cross, gender, and shearing season (P < .05). The average MFDs in wool from Kari, Balkhi and Ramghani-cross fleeces were different from the Balkhi-cross, while no significant difference was found between the MFD of wool from Kutta and Balkhi-cross sheep. In the samples tested, the average MFDs of Kari, Ramghani-cross, and Balkhi wool were found to be lower than Balkhi-cross by 1.9, 1.8, and 2.1 µm, respectively. The average MFD of male sheep was found to be 1.0 µm lower than female sheep. The wool sheared in summer was on average 4.3 µm coarser than that sheared in spring. However, no significant difference was found in the MFD of wool samples sheared in winter and spring. Various features affecting wool quality were explored which can be considered for a sheep-breeding program to obtain optimal wool for the textile industry.

摘要

平均纤维直径（MFD）是羊毛加工的主要特征，决定了其在纺织工业中的应用. 对巴基斯坦精选的绵羊品种/杂交种进行了调查，以分析多发性疾病. 总的来说，Kari品种的MFD最低（24±0.31μm），而巴尔基杂交品种的MFD最高（28±0.43μm）. MFD受品种/杂交、性别和剪毛季节的影响（P<0.05）. Kari、Balkhi和Ramghani杂交羊毛的平均MFD与Balkhi杂交羊毛不同，而Kutta和Balkhi杂交羊毛的MFD没有显著差异. 在试验样品中，发现Kari、Ramghani Cross和Balkhi羊毛的平均MFD分别比Balkhi Cross低1.9、1.8和2.1μm. 发现雄性绵羊的平均MFD比雌性绵羊低1.0μm. 夏季剪下的羊毛比春季剪下的羊毛平均粗4.3微米. 冬春剪毛样品的毛纤维密度差异不显著. 探讨了影响羊毛品质的各种因素，为制定适合纺织行业的绵羊选育方案提供依据.

KEYWORDS:

• MFD
• wool
• breed
• gender
• shearing season

关键词:

• 羊毛
• 品种
• 性别
• 剪毛季节

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Prof. Graham J. Belsham for reviewing the manuscript for English language.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The present study was financially supported by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan under grant No. 20-3370/NRPU/R&D/HEC/15/455 to SMJ.