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9 PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PAK. COTTONS
9.1 Spin-ability and, therefore, the importance of cotton is due to a natural
accident whereby
the fibre is twisted or “convoluted” upon maturing. These convolutions enable
cotton to be
spun. Absence of convolutions would render cotton useless as spinning raw
material.
9.2 Characteristics like lengths,
strengths, fineness, uniformity and maturity
are important.
No-lint content (NLC) has also become important because blow room lines have
been shortened.
9.3 The present day textile machinery is improving upon its precision and
speeds and, therefore, to produce the same yam, better raw material has to be used. Pakistan
was once known
as the producer of strongest cottons in the world. It is sad to say that this is
no longer true. CIS
and American cottons are regularly maintaining strength of over 100,000 pound
per square inch
while strength of Pakistan cottons is 90 - 95 thousand pounds per square inch.
The success of
further development of higher production and finer yarn
will naturally depend on finer and
stronger cottons to keep pace with modem trends. If better types of cotton are
not made available
other fibres will replace it. It is, therefore, imperative that research work is
suitably modified
and also enlarged so as to modify cotton to suit the changing demands of the
industry. Therefore,
initial instructions to cotton breeders should be:
“DOUBLE THE LENGTH, DOUBLE THE
STRENGTH”
9.4 Length, strength, fineness, maturity and non-lint
content are given in table-4 below:
Table 4
|
Characteristics |
1994-95 |
1995-96 |
1996-97 |
1997-98 |
1998-99 |
1999-00 |
2000-01 |
|
Length (m.m.) |
26.7 |
25.9 |
26.1 |
27.4 |
26.7 |
26.5 |
27.2 |
|
Strength (000 lbs/) |
90.8 |
90.8 |
92.5 |
91.4 |
92.8 |
94.3 |
92.9 |
|
Fineness (Micronaire) |
4.1 |
4.0 |
4.3 |
4.3 |
4.2 |
4.3 |
4.1 |
|
Maturity (%) |
78.4 |
7.8 |
79.2 |
78.9 |
79.3 |
79.4 |
78.7 |
|
NLC (%) |
7.1 |
5.3 |
8.0 |
7.2 |
7.4 |
6.3 |
6.6 |
|
Source: PCCC |
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9.5 It can be seen from the preceding figures that all
characteristics have stagnated over
the years. A narrow focus examination is needed to expose the weaknesses in the
cotton research
system. This is extremely urgent in view of coming quota free regime where
quality of cotton
and cotton manufactures will assume more importance than in the past.
PAGE 9
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