ABSTRACT
Fiber samples were taken from 105 fields, representative of a 25-county region on the Texas Southern High Plains at two-week intervals and evaluated for length, strength, micronaire, and uniformity. The region was divided into Nortn, Middle, and South zones and predictions for fiber quality were made within each zone. Out of five sets of samples taken Sept. 1, Sept. 15, Sept. 29, Oct. 12, and Oct. 26, the samples taken Oct. 12 were the most representative of fiber quality for the area, and were used for this year's predictions made in mid-October. At that date, 56.3% of the samples were open in the Northern zone, 61.9% were open in the Middle zone, and 79.5% were open in the Southern zone. The average values for all three zones were: length - .93 inches, micronaire - 4.1, uniformity - 81, and strength - 24.2 grams/tex. Normal harvest was well underway in mid-November, and as of Dec. 27, 1982, over 490,000 bales were classed in Lubbock which showed a cumulative mic of 3.9 and a strength of 24.6. The Lamesa classing office classed 303,000 bales with an average mic of 3.9 and a strength of 24.2. This sampling procedure may be transferable to other areas of the Cotton Belt and might provide an accurate assessment of fiber quality prior to the initiation of normal harvest.
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