Publication Details
Abstract
The increasing need for natural textile fibers has reignited interest in wool production in the Republic of Uzbekistan, where today, Karakul, Jaidari, Hisar and Edilbay sheep are the main sources of raw wool. These breeds and their origin and distribution have been well documented, though there are few data on the physico-mechanical properties of their fibre effective factors including the environmental and processing factors to wool quality. This work fills this gap by investigating local wool post primary processing with respect to structure, dimensions, contaminant levels and technological performance. In spring and autumn, wool samples were taken from Karakul and Jaidari sheep and investigated under controlled conditions of shearing, moisture, drying and sorting. Results reveal significant differences of plant residues, mineral impurities and oil-sweat among breeds and over seasons. They showed that the total waste in spring wool was about 19–20%, with higher levels of mineral impurities in Jaidari wool (coarser structure of wool) and higher content of plant residues in Karakul wool (a larger content of fine tivit fibers). Contamination was generally lower during autumn shearing. The implication is that wool cleanness and yield are dramatically influenced by breed characteristics, feeding conditions and the timing of shearing. Findings emphasize the need to adopt optimized shearing schedules; finer sorting and combing technologies; and more efficient breeding management practices to maximize the clean, high-quality wool yield for textiles in Uzbekistan.