Wool characteristics of Changthangi sheep

Abstract

Changthangi sheep, one of the indigenous breeds of Jammu and Kashmir, India, is reared by the nomadic tribe Changpas in the Changthang region of Ladakh. It is a dual purpose breed known for wool and mutton production. The breed supports the livelihood of the Changpas besides Pashmina goat rearing. Changpas use the wool locally for production of local items like rugs, socks, sweaters, quilts (Rstkotul), mattresses (Rstdhan) etc. Owing to very little scientific knowledge on the quality characteristics of Changthangi wool its wide spread utilization is limited. Current study was undertaken for evaluating the quality of Changthangi sheep wool wherein results revealed that the average fibre diameter, medullation percentage, staple length, number of crimps, fibre length, scouring yield and burr content were 31.19 ± 0.71 μm, 11.37 ± 0.97 %, 11.34 ± 0.55 cm, 4.13 ± 0.36, 134.58 ± 3.56 mm, 81.06 ± 0.94 % and 3.19 ± 0.65 % respectively. The study also revealed that Changthangi sheep has a double coat with a marked difference in the fibre diameter and surface characteristics of primary and secondary fibres. From the study it was concluded that the Changthangi wool is medium type wool and can be utilized in an organized sector for development of finer textured fabrics. Further, the undercoat having finer diameter and smooth handle can be utilized for the manufacturing of smooth textured luxurious fabrics next only to pashmina.