ABSTRACT

Naturally colored cotton refers to cultivars that produce lint in any color other than white. Breeders have improved the agronomic and physical properties of some colored cottons recently. However, the prevalence of short, weak fibers has presented some real and perceived processing concerns. The purpose of this paper is to report on the experiences of government scientists during their work with colored cotton. It briefly summarizes some of our major research accomplishments. Some of this information has not been published in detail due to commercial conflicts, contractual constraints, and/or proprietary issues. Our program has revealed a large range of properties among colored cottons. Experiences suggest that processing colored cotton on conventional machines is generally not a problem but minor accommodations for speed or settings can reduce fiber breakage or loss and improve product uniformity. Blending colored cotton with other natural or synthetic fibers is an easy way to facilitate processing on conventional machines but may also dilute color intensity. This paper reports on a method developed at SRRC that uses fusible fibers to dramatically increase the strength of colored cotton materials. Finally, a previously undisclosed method of converting short weak fibers into superior core yarns is revealed. The invention provides for the separate supply of core and wrap fibers during the production of bicomponent core yarns. The novel approach is totally different from the core yarn methods previously developed at this location, and produces more uniform core yarns.