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

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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.