Influence of cultivars, years, environment, and stem location on kenaf fiber properties

Kenaf contains two distinct fiber components, the long-bast fibers from the bark and the short-core fibers from the inner portion of the stem. Since the products that can be manufactured from kenaf as well as the product quality are influenced by the specific fiber properties, field studies were conducted in 1944 and 1995 to examine the fiber properties of four kenaf cultivars grown in four different environnements. The four cultivars were Evelgrades 71, Tainung 2, SF459, and 7N ; the four experimental sites were Weslaco and Overton, TX, and Dixon Spring and Urbana, IL. Results indicated that the fiber lengths, widths, and length-to-width ratios of the four cultivars were not significantly different. What appeared to contribute most to differences in fiber properties were the years, environments, and the sources of fibers along the stem length and within the plants. Bark fibers from the middle section of stems were significantly longer than those from the lower stem sections ; however, there were no significant differences observed among core fibers along the stem length. Bast and core fiber width remained uniform throughout the entire stem. Several interactions existed between cultivars, years, environments, and stem location, indicating the numerous and compounding factors that may influence fiberproperties, processing, and end use. Application : kenaf can be used as a non wood source of fiber and in manufacturing several wood-based products. This study showed the significant influence of years, environments, and stem location on bast and core fiber dimensions.