Fiber Quality Research Articles

Water retting process with hemp pre-treatment: effect on the enzymatic activities and microbial populations dynamic

Proper retting process of hemp stems, in which efficient separation of cellulose fiber from the rest of the stem is promoted by indigenous microorganisms able to degrade pectin, is essential for fiber production and quality. This research aimed to investigate the effect of a pre-treatment dew retting in field of hemp stalks on the pectinolytic enzymatic activity and microbiota dynamic during lab-scale water retting process. A strong increase in the pectinase activity as well as in the aerobic and anaerobic pectinolytic concentration was observed from 14 to 21 days, especially using hemp stalks that were not subjected to a pre-retting treatment on field (WRF0 0.690 ± 0.05 U/mL). Results revealed that the microbial diversity significantly varied over time during the water retting and the development of microbiota characterizing the water retting of hemp stalks of different biosystems used in this study was affected by pre-treatment conditions in the field and water retting process and by an interaction between the two methods. Although at the beginning of the experiment a high biodiversity was recorded in all biosystems, the water retting led to a selection of microbial populations in function of the time of pre-treatment in field, especially in bacterial populations. The use of hemp stems did not subject to a field pre-treatment seems to help the development of a homogeneous and specific pectinolytic microbiota with a higher enzymatic activity in respect to samples exposed to uncontrolled environmental conditions for 10, 20, or 30 days before the water retting process.Key points• Microbial diversity significantly varied over time during water retting.• Water retting microbiota was affected by dew pre-treatment in the field.• Retting of no pretreated hemp allows the development of specific microbiota with high enzymatic activity.

Deseeded sunflower fractions and their anatomy and cell morphology

Deseeded sunflower is a heterogeneous lignocellulosic biomass that has not been well utilized due to the incomplete understanding of its biological structure. In this study, deseeded sunflower was fractioned into the stalk rind, stalk pith, receptacle, bract, bractlet, leaf blade, and petiole, and their anatomy, cell morphology, and fiber dimension were studied using light microscope, environmental scanning electron microscope, and fiber quality analyzer. The results showed that the major fractions were the stalk rind and receptacle (49.4 wt% and 28.1 wt%, respectively) and each of the other fractions was less than 10 wt% of the total biomass. The pith was only composed of parenchyma tissue, and the other fractions were composed of epidermal, parenchyma, and vascular tissues. The arrangement and number of vascular tissues were different among fractions. The fiber length in the stalk rind was 0.823 mm, the width was 21.3 μm, and the aspect ratio was 38.6. The content of fiber fines in other fractions was higher than 50%, and these fractions should be developed for other uses. Fractionation was judged to be an effective way to achieve high value utilization of deseeded sunflower.

Transcriptome Analysis and Identification of Genes Associated with Cotton Seed Size.

Cotton seeds, as the main by-product of cotton, are not only an important raw material for edible oil and feed but also a source of biofuel. The quality of cotton seeds directly affects cotton planting and is closely related to the yield and fiber quality. However, the molecular mechanism governing cotton seed size remains largely unexplored. This study investigates the regulatory mechanisms of cotton seed size by focusing on two cotton genotypes, N10 and N12, which exhibit notable phenotypic variations across multiple environments. Developing seeds were sampled at various stages (5, 20, 30, and 35 DPA) and subjected to RNA-seq. Temporal pattern clustering and WGCNA on differentially expressed genes identified 413 candidate genes, including these related to sugar metabolism that were significantly enriched in transcriptional regulation. A genetic transformation experiment indicated that the overexpression of the GhUXS5 gene encoding UDP-glucuronate decarboxylase 5 significantly increased seed size, suggesting an important role of GhUXS5 in regulating cotton seed size. This discovery provides crucial insights into the molecular mechanisms controlling cotton seed size, helping to unravel the complex regulatory network and offering new strategies and targets for cotton breeding to enhance the economic value of cotton seeds and overall cotton yield.

A novel microwave-assisted γ-valerolactone and glycolic acid pretreatment for green and sustainable production of hemp fibres

Hemp, a sustainable crop, offers superior material properties suitable for diverse applications. This study aims to produce hemp fibre using a green and sustainable pretreatment method, thus exploring a novel microwave-assisted pretreatment method using a γ-valerolactone (GVL) and glycolic acid (GA) solution system, referred to as the GVL/GA pretreatment method. By optimising solid loading and reaction time, we significantly reduced water usage (50 %) and energy consumption (61.5 %) while maintaining fibre quality. The pretreatment method effectively removed lignin (88.7 %) and hemicellulose (39.3 %) without damaging the cellulose structure. The pretreated samples demonstrated a 45.7 % increase in glucose yield. Additionally, the characterisation of pretreated fibres revealed impressive fineness (4.4 dtex) and tenacity (4.0 cN/dtex), and the crystal structure remained intact with increased crystallinity (86 %). The HSQC NMR analysis unveiled that lignin undergoes structural modifications, enabling efficient lignin removal. GVL/GA pretreatment promotes green chemistry by minimising environmental impact and waste, using renewable resources. It provides a sustainable alternative to traditional methods, contributing to a greener industry.

Morphophysiological and biochemical responses of cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.) to nano zinc (ZnO-NPs) and Azospirillum sp. under water deficit stress conditions

Water deficit stress (WDS) is one of the most significant abiotic limiting factors in cultivated crops, including cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.). With global climate change and the destruction of ecological balance, the frequency and severity of drought events are increasing in many regions around the world. Therefore, the aim of the present work was to investigate the potential of using nano zinc particles (ZnO-NPs), plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (Azospirillum sp.), and their combination to mitigate the negative impacts of WDS on cotton var. Giza 96. Extended irrigation intervals of 30 and 45 days led to considerable decreases in plant height, chlorophyll content, relative water content (RWC), yield, and cotton fiber quality compared to the optimal irrigation interval (every 15 days). When applied individually or in combination, ZnO-NPs and Azospirillum sp. can ameliorate the negative effects of WDS on cotton growth and productivity. Overall, the use of Azospirillum sp. and ZnO-NPs, either individually or in combination, has demonstrated their potential to enhance cotton growth and yield parameters (plant height, dry weight, leaf area, chlorophyll pigment, seed index, seed yield, and lint%) under prolonged irrigation intervals during 2021 and 2022 seasons. Antioxidant enzymes activity comprising catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and proline content were increased under drought stress. Cotton fiber quality parameters including length, strength, and micronaire were insignificantly affected under low irrigation rate. The combination of ZnO-NPs and Azospirillum sp. provided the most effective mitigation of WDS during both experimental seasons, outperforming the effects of individual applications.

Effects of chemical regulation on the growth, yield and fiber quality of cotton varieties with different plant architectures

Chemical regulation has beneficial effects on the growth, yield, and fiber quality of cotton with different plant architectures. This study aimed to investigate the combined effects of chemical regulators such as mepiquat chloride (1,1-dimethyl-piperidiniuchloride, DPC), chlormequat chloride (CCC), thidiazuron (TDZ), and ethephon (ETH) during the growth period of cotton. Different combinations of chemical regulators were applied to examine the growth, development, yield, and quality of cotton. The results showed that the application of different chemical regulators had varying effects on the yields of the two cotton varieties with distinct plant architecture. Specifically, K1C1 (before and after topping with 1:1 25% DPC, 50% TDZ, and 40% ETH) and K2C2 (before topping with 25% DPC and after topping with 50% CCC, 50% TDZ, and 40% ETH) were sprayed on ‘Wankemian-1’ and ‘Wanmian-191’, thereby increasing the cotton yield. The K2C2 treatment increased the upper half mean length and fiber strength of the two varieties but decreased the fiber length uniformity index. The fiber strength, fiber length uniformity index, and spinning consistency index of ‘Wankemian-1’ were higher than those of ‘Wanmian-191’. Based on comprehensive yield, quality, and economic benefits, K1C1 and K2C2 were determined to be the most effective chemical regulators of ‘Wankemian-1’ and ‘Wanmian-191’, respectively.

Feasibility Study and Results from a Baseline Multi-Tool Active Seismic Acquisition for CO2 Monitoring at the Hellisheiði Geothermal Field

CO2 capture and underground storage, combined with geothermal resource exploitation, are vital for future sustainable and renewable energy. The SUCCEED project explores the feasibility of re-injecting CO2 into geothermal fields to enhance production and store CO2 for climate change mitigation. This integration requires novel time-lapse monitoring approaches. At the Hellisheiði geothermal power plant in Iceland, seismic surveys utilizing conventional geophones and a permanent fiber-optic helically wound cable (HWC) for Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) were designed to provide subsurface information and CO2 monitoring. This work details the feasibility study and active seismic acquisition of the baseline survey, focusing on optical fiber sensitivity, seismic modeling, acquisition parameters, source configurations, and quality control. Post-acquisition signal analysis using a novel electromagnetic vibrating source is discussed. The integrated analysis of datasets from co-located sensors improved quality-control performance and geophysical interpretation. The study demonstrates the advantages of using densely sampled DAS data in space by multichannel processing. This experimental work highlights the feasibility of using HWC DAS cables in active surface seismic surveys with an environmentally friendly electromagnetic source, providing also a unique case of joint signal analysis from different types of sensors in high-temperature geothermal areas for energy and CO2 storage monitoring in a time-lapse perspective.

Hybrid Modeling and Management of Lodging in Subtropical Fiber Flax: Optimizing Plant Nutrition for Sustainable Cultivation

ABSTRACT Subtropical fiber flax faces significant challenges due to crop lodging, exacerbated by the high N regimes needed for increased fiber production. This study examines impact of balanced P and K applications under varied N regimes on lodging resistance, fiber yield, and quality of flax. Field experiments with 12 NPK treatments revealed that while 120:19:38 kg N, P, K ha−1 achieved highest plant height, stem-diameter, and fresh-weight while increased lodging percentage and reduced fiber quality when P and K were not balanced. Conversely, balanced P and K applications mitigated negative effects of high N, significantly reducing lodging and enhancing fiber yield, quality. Optimal fiber quality, including fiber length and bundle tenacity, was observed with 90:19:38 kg N, P, K ha−1. The novelty of this study lies in integration of stochastic and ML approaches to develop hybrid models for lodging. By combining LASSO with ANN, NLSVR, and RF techniques, hybrid models outperformed individual models in lodging prediction. Specifically, LASSO-NLSVR provided most accurate predictions due to its nonlinear mapping capabilities. Key predictive factors included fiber content, linear density, and tensile strength at 60 days post-sowing, offering valuable insights for breeders and agronomists to improve flax lodging resistance and fiber quality in subtropical climates.

Genome-wide association study of fiber quality traits in US upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.).

A GWAS in an elite diversity panel, evaluated across 10 environments, identified genomic regions regulating six fiber quality traits, facilitating genomics-assisted breeding and gene discovery in upland cotton. In this study, an elite diversity panel of 348 upland cotton accessions was evaluated in 10 environments across the US Cotton Belt and genotyped with the cottonSNP63K array, for a genome-wide association study of six fiber quality traits. All fiber quality traits, upper half mean length (UHML: mm), fiber strength (FS: gtex-1), fiber uniformity (FU: %), fiber elongation (FE: %), micronaire (MIC) and short fiber content (SFC: %), showed high broad-sense heritability (> 60%). All traits except FE showed high genomic heritability. UHML, FS and FU were all positively correlated with each other and negatively correlated with FE, MIC and SFC. GWAS of these six traits identified 380 significant marker-trait associations (MTAs) including 143 MTAs on 30 genomic regions. These 30 genomic regions included MTAs identified in at least three environments, and 23 of them were novel associations. Phenotypic variation explained for the MTAs in these 30 genomic regions ranged from 6.68 to 11.42%. Most of the fiber quality-associated genomic regions were mapped in the D-subgenome. Further, this study confirmed the pleiotropic region on chromosome D11 (UHML, FS and FU) and identified novel co-localized regions on D04 (FU, SFC), D05 (UHML, FU, and D06 UHML, FU). Marker haplotype analysis identified superior combinations of fiber quality-associated genomic regions with high trait values (UHML = 32.34mm; FS = 32.73gtex-1; FE = 6.75%). Genomic analyses of traits, haplotype combinations and candidate gene information described in the current study could help leverage genetic diversity for targeted genetic improvement and gene discovery for fiber quality traits in cotton.

EVALUATION OF VARIOUS COTTON GENOTYPES THROUGH GENETIC DIVERSITY ANALYSIS

Fifty-two varieties/strains of cotton were studied to explore the genetic divergence in the yield trials at Cotton Research Station, Faisalabad. The study aimed to identify strains with earliness, CLCuD tolerance, and superior yield with better fiber quality. Correlation analysis showed significant positive association of seed cotton yield (SCY) with boll number, boll weight(g), ginning out turn (GOT) and fiber length, while significant negative association with leaf curl disease and first flower appearance date was observed. Principal components analysis revealed that four out of 11 principal component showed Eigen value ˃1. The contribution of these PCs towards total variability was 76.8% with PC-1 with maximum (44.4%), followed by PC-2 (12.2%), PC-3 (10.9 %) and PC-4 (9.3%). Traits including yield, bolls number, boll weight and plant height exhibited noteworthy positive factor loading in PC-1, while cotton leaf curl virus, days to first boll opening and first flower had maximum negative loadings. The findings of cluster analysis indicated that the genotypes present in cluster V (FH-1131, FH-1133, FH-1214, FH-525, FH-453, FH-333, FH-1132, FH-1135, FH-416, FH-1134 and FH-938) have excellent combination of all desirable traits viz., earliness, fiber quality, seed cotton yield (SCY) and its contributing traits. As apparent from the results of cluster and principal components analyses, topmost genotypes based on genetic divergence data may also be tested in provincial and national yield trials because they have combination of better yield and quality parameters.

Heterosis and Inbreeding Depression Studies for Fibre Quality Traits in Upland Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Cotton hybrids have its own advantage than varieties in yield and fibre properties. Heterosis breeding helps in identifying F1 hybrids and in creating variability. The chief intention of any hybridization programme is to combine all the desirable genes present in two or more parents into a single genetic background. This investigation helped in identifying the extent of heterosis in crosses among four families in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) which was conducted at college Farm during kharif 2021-23. The all 4 hybrids were derived by generation mean analysis study which were analysed for fibre quality traits in a Compact Family Block Design. For traits like Ginning percentage, uniformity index, Upper Half Mean Length, Lint index, and Fibre strength, most of the crosses showed positive and significant relative heterosis. While, heterobeltiosis was also found positive and significant for ginning percentage, uniformity index, Upper half mean length and fibre strength for most of the crosses under study. Most of the crosses under study also showed little inbreeding depression for traits like ginning percentage, uniformity index and fibre strength. Thus, by exploiting the benefits of heterosis while mitigating risks associated with inbreeding depression may lead to the development of superior hybrid varieties with consistently improved fibre quality.

INFESTATION OF DIFFERENT INSECT PESTS ON NOVEL COTTON CULTIVARS AND THEIR IMPACTS ON COTTON FIBER QUALITY PARAMETERS

Pakistan is the 5th largest producer of cotton in the world. Exports of cotton and textile products have a share of around 60 percent in overall exports of the country. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the different fiber quality parameters in relation to different insect pest populations. The introduction of this new types of cultivars may satisfy the needs of farmers for better quality and quantity, laborers who harvest crops, and other investors, including those in the cotton sector. A field research was carried out at the Cotton Research Station, Faisalabad, Pakistan, during the year 2023 cotton cultivars (VH-447, FH-1133, BH-228, SLH-94, MNH-S GOLD, BH-227, FH-1214, MNH-1095, VH-442, MNH-1090, RH-BAGHO BAHAR, MNH-1050, and MNH-TP) were evaluated for resistance to sucking pests such as whitefly (Bemisia tabaci); jassid (Amrasca biguttula biguttula); and thrips (Thrips tabaci) as well as bollworms such as pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella); spotted bollworm (Earias insulana; E. vitelli); and American bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera). There were notable variations across the genotypes in terms of the population of sucking and bollworm insect pest infestation, which lowers cotton production and negatively affects fiber quality. FH-1133 showed the lowest average populations of thrips (1.00/leaf), jassid (0.27/leaf), and whiteflies (2.00/leaf), indicating the highest resistance. The average population (9.84%) of pink bollworm larvae in residual boll. The virus percentage on different cotton genotypes recorded after 30, 60, 90, and 120 days was 0.00, 9.00, 14.00, and 19.00%, respectively. The cultivar FH-1133 was observed to be good for all other genotypes of cotton due to its yield (2372.50 kg/acre), and it had the following lint quality attributes: GOT (46.50%), staple length (28.50 mm), fiber fineness (4.70 µg/inch), and fiber strength (33.20 g/tex).

A novel sensor-based digital instrument for assessment of quality of fibre extracted from banana pseudostem

Banana (Musa paradisiaca) farming generates huge quantities of biomass, all of which goes to waste due to the non-availability of suitable technology for its commercial application. The potential solution to this issue could be the conversion of pseudo-stems into valuable assets by converting them into fibres for various textile and non-textile applications. The specific characteristics of banana pseudo-stem fibre i.e. high absorptivity, breathability and biodegradability made it sustainable as well as suitable for the development of diversified products and blending with other natural fibres. However, non-uniformity in availability, obscurity of its intended uses and lack of knowledge for assessment of fibre quality posed a biggest hurdle to reach the fibre into the textile markets. Hence, a novel sensor-based digital instrument for assessing the quality parameters i.e. bundle strength and fineness along with overall grade of banana pseudo-stem fibre is presented in this research article. The developed instrument mainly consists of a fibre bundle strength measurement unit, fineness measuring unit and visual interface cum data acquisition unit. Test results indicated that bundle strength and fineness measured by developed instrument varied from 20.92 g/tex to 28.31 g/tex and 5.63 tex to 6.41 tex respectively. Furthermore, a good correlation between the measured and actual outputs of bundle strength (One-Way ANOVA, F28,2 = 3.914, P = 0.224), fineness (One-Way ANOVA, F51,2 = 4.730, P = 0.190) and overall quality of fibre (Independent sample T-Test, F34,1 = 0.95, P = 0.190). Was observed at 5 % level of significance. The present study also introduced a grading system for quality assessment of banana fibre based on the well-established and well-recognized grading system of jute fibre developed by Indian Standard (IS: 271 2020). The developed instrument is easy to build as well as easy to use and have an approximate cost of $1800.00. The combination of developed instrument and grading system is an accurate, feasible and time-ordered technique for the assessment of the overall quality of the banana fibre and well suited for the actual conditions.

Effects of potassium application on growth, yield, and quality of dryland cotton

AbstractPotassium (K) deficiency reduces cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) growth, development, lint yield, and fiber quality. The study's objective was to compare the effects of K fertilizer rate on cotton plant height (CPH), yield, and fiber quality in three cotton cultivars. Three cotton cultivars studied were NG 5711 B3XF (C1), PHY 480 W3FE (C2), and FM 1953GLTP (C3). Granular K fertilizer was surface broadcast and incorporated 1 week before planting at 34, 50, and 67 kg ha−1. The CPH and canopy width were measured from 30 to 105 days after planting. The cotton CPH increased by 13%, 17%, and 12% in 2020 and by 6%, 4%, and 8% in 2021 with 34, 50, and 67 kg ha−1 K fertilizer rates compared to control. The K application increased cotton canopy width by 39% in 2021 compared to 2020. The K application at 50 kg ha−1 yielded significantly more cotton yield than the control in 2020. The cotton lint yield increased by 25%, 34%, and 9% in 2020 and by 4%, 17%, and 11% in 2021 with 34, 50, and 67 kg ha−1 K fertilizer application rates than control. The cotton fiber staple length and color grade increased significantly with the 50 kg ha−1 K application rate than the control in 2020. Cultivars significantly impacted Col‐Rd and Col‐b in 2020 and 2021. This study shows that fertilizer‐K application improves not only yield, but also staple length and color grade in rainfed cotton crops.

Effects of pre-treatment with commercial cellulase and hemicellulase and laboratory beating of unbleached pine kraft pulp on freeness, paper strength, and fiber quality

Effects of pre-treatment with commercial cellulase and hemicellulase and laboratory beating of unbleached pine kraft pulp on freeness, paper strength, and fiber quality

Modeling of cotton yield responses to different irrigation strategies in Southern Xinjiang Region,China

Southern Xinjiang region represents a prototypical oasis agricultural area, and cotton is the primary cash crop. The current cotton water productivity for this area remains room for improvement. In order to refine cotton drip irrigation strategy in Southern Xinjiang, this study combined field experiment with crop model simulation and prediction. In this experiment, two irrigation methods, furrow irrigation and drip irrigation, and different degrees of deficit irrigation were set up. The impacts of soil moisture on cotton yield and quality were assessed, with the additional utilization of the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM2) for simulating irrigation scenarios and predicting cotton yield field data showed that during the 2021–2022 growing season, drip irrigation significantly increased boll weight, yield, and Water Productivity compared to furrow irrigation. The deficit irrigation with 90 % of full irrigation during the flowering period resulted in the highest yield among all drip irrigation treatments, while simultaneously improving the fiber quality. The RZWQM2 model was calibrated and validated using 2021 and 2022 cotton field experimental data, respectively. The calibrated and verified RZWQM2 model shows good performance. In terms of soil water storage, cotton yield and evapotranspiration. The simulated value output by the model is close to the measured value in the field. Model prediction data suggest that there is still room for improvement in cotton yield, accompanied by an increase in evapotranspiration. But deficit irrigation below 80 % of the full irrigation quotas poses a notable risk of yield reduction. Targeting higher yields, the predicted scenario suggests an increase in water application (irrigation quota:314.8 mm). Additionally, this study proposes irrigation regimes with water savings of 10 % and 20 %, with irrigation quotas of 290.5 mm and 266.5 mm during the growth period, respectively. Based on this study, we provide a more detailed and reliable water-saving scheme for cotton drip irrigation in southern Xinjiang region.

Genetic Regulatory Perturbation of Gene Expression Impacted by Genomic Introgression in Fiber Development of Allotetraploid Cotton.

Interspecific genomic introgression is an important evolutionary process with respect to the generation of novel phenotypic diversity and adaptation. A key question is how gene flow perturbs gene expression networks and regulatory interactions. Here, an introgression population of two species of allopolyploid cotton (Gossypium) to delineate the regulatory perturbations of gene expression regarding fiber development accompanying fiber quality change is utilized. De novo assembly of the recipient parent (G. hirsutum Emian22) genome allowed the identification of genomic variation and introgression segments (ISs) in 323 introgression lines (ILs) from the donor parent (G. barbadense 3-79). It documented gene expression dynamics by sequencing 1,284 transcriptomes of developing fibers and characterized genetic regulatory perturbations mediated by genomic introgression using a multi-locus model. Introgression of individual homoeologous genes exhibiting extreme low or high expression bias can lead to a parallel expression bias in their non-introgressed duplicates, implying a shared yet divergent regulatory fate of duplicated genes following allopolyploidy. Additionally, the IL N182 with improved fiber quality is characterized, and the candidate gene GhFLAP1 related to fiber length is validated. This study outlines a framework for understanding introgression-mediated regulatory perturbations in polyploids, and provides insights for targeted breeding of superior upland cotton fiber.

Analysis of Short Fiber Measurements Calculated from the Length Distribution from an HVI Fibrogram

ABSTRACT Cotton fiber length is one of the most important fiber quality attributes, as it has a direct impact on the quality of spun yarn. Of particular interest is information regarding the shorter fibers in the sample, as research has shown that shorter fibers adversely affect yarn quality. In a previous work, some authors proposed a method whereby a complete fiber length distribution can be calculated from the fibrogram produced by the USTER High Volume Instrument (HVI). In this paper, we perform an exploratory analysis on a large set of over 5,000 samples, focusing on short fiber measurements provided by the new method of reconstructing the fiber length distribution from the HVI fibrogram. Overall, the results demonstrate that the short fiber measurements based on the reconstructed distributions of HVI fibrograms reveal structure in the data not present in other short fiber measurements from the HVI or the USTER Advanced Fiber Information System (AFIS). Additionally, we show that the new fibrogram-based measurements can detect fiber breakage that occurs as a result of AFIS testing. In short, the results indicate that the length measurements based on the new method offer an improvement over the existing measurement techniques.

Assessing the Impact of Drought Stress on Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) Fibers.

Drought can significantly impact fiber crop cultivation due to the plants' specific water requirements and their extended vegetative period. The purpose of the research was to examine how drought stress affects the quality and chemical composition of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) fibers. A three-year pot experiment was conducted in a plant growth facility, using controlled drought stress for hemp plants. Soil moisture levels were maintained at three levels, where 45% field water capacity was the control and 35% and 25% FWC were drought. A comprehensive suite of fiber quality characterization techniques, including linear density measurement, tenacity assessment, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Wide-Angle X-ray Diffraction (WAXD), was employed to evaluate the impact of drought stress on fiber properties. The chemical composition of hemp fibers was thoroughly analyzed, quantifying the content of cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, and lignin. The findings indicate that drought conditions significantly influence linear density, wax and fat content, as well as the crystallinity of the fibers.

Characterization of Fibers Prepared by Centrifugal Spinning from Biotechnologically Derived Chicken Gelatin.

The application of biopolymer-based materials is increasing due to better sustainability and environmental protection properties. Gelatin fibers have a specific surface and high porosity, which is why their use in medicine and the food industry is being researched. This article explores the potential of centrifugal spinning to produce gelatin fibers. Gelatin for fiber preparation was obtained from a non-traditional source of collagen (chicken by-products) using a unique enzymatic process. The fiber quality was compared with those prepared from gelatins produced from traditional collagen tissues (porcine, bovine). The results showed that fibers cross-linked with glutaraldehyde vapor preserved their structure even in contact with water. Using a cross-linker controlled swelling ability and solubility while maintaining the fiber structure. On the contrary, uncross-linked gelatin fibers were water soluble due to a high surface-to-volume ratio, facilitating water penetration and dissolution. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) provided a clearer picture of the morphology of gelatin fibers obtained by centrifugal spinning. Differences in the amount of bonding depending on the raw material used and the presence of a cross-linker were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The overall results showed that chicken gelatin is a suitable alternative to gelatins from traditional sources and can be used for preparing food and pharmaceutical packaging and coatings, fibers, or bioprinting of 3D matrices.