I-Corps: A fibrogram based method for the rapid assessment of within sample variation in fiber length

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是解决国内棉花行业对更好的纤维长度测量的需求。由于棉纤维长度在样品内变化过大而引起的纱线缺陷会给纺纱米尔斯厂带来折扣和利润损失。然而，目前用于销售棉纤维的纤维长度测量不能充分捕获样品内识别可能引起问题的棉包所需的纤维长度变化。因此，棉农往往生产最高质量的棉花，但市场的反应却与他们的努力不相称。这项技术使农民能够专注于质量，为他们提供一种在市场上区分产品以增加利润的方法。种子公司可以使用这项技术来筛选他们的种质，以防止纤维长度在样本内过度变异。这是为国内棉农开发优良棉花品种和生物技术的重要一步。I-Corps项目进一步开发了一种新的算法，可以快速准确地测量棉花纤维长度的样本内变异。该技术基于纤维造影方法，其中生成纤维造影曲线，其表征通过随机捕获的纤维胡须的光的衰减。该技术在选择代表广泛表型变异的样品以及在商业条件下生产和收获的一组样品上进行了评价。基于该技术的纤维长度测量能够更好地解释纱线拉伸性能和纱线缺陷的变化时，与目前在行业中使用的长度测量相比。此外，该技术比现有的仪器更快，更便宜，旨在帮助纺纱米尔斯测量样品内纤维长度的变化。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得支持的评估使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is in addressing the need in the domestic cotton industry for a better fiber length measurement. Yarn imperfections caused by excessive within sample variation in cotton fiber length result in discounts and lost profits for spinning mills. However, current fiber length measurements used to market cotton fiber do not adequately capture within sample variation in fiber length needed to identify cotton bales that may cause problems. As a result, cotton farmers are often producing the highest quality cotton but the market is not responding with premiums commensurate with their efforts. This technology allows farmers to focus on quality by providing a way for them to differentiate their product in the market for increased profit. Seed companies can use this technology to screen their germplasm for excessive within sample variation in fiber length. This is an important step toward developing elite cotton varieties and biotechnologies for domestic cotton farmers.This I-Corps project further develops a new algorithm that provides a fast and accurate measurement of within sample variation in cotton fiber length. The technology is based on the fibrograph method, where a fibrogram curve is generated that characterizes the attenuation of light through a randomly caught beard of fibers. The technology was evaluated on samples that were selected to represent a wide range of phenotypic variation, and a set of samples that was produced and harvested under commercial conditions. Fiber length measurements based this technology were able to better explain variation in yarn tensile properties and yarn imperfections when compared against length measurements currently used in the industry. In addition, this technology is faster and less expensive than existing instruments designed to help spinning mills measure within sample variation in fiber length.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.