Cashmere Quality of Raeini Goats Kept by Nomads in Iran

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581 Proceeding of the 2nd_{International Seminar on Animal Industry | Jakarta, 5-6 July 2012}

Cashmere Quality of Raeini Goats Kept by Nomads in Iran

H.R. Ansari-Renani1,*_{, J.P. Mueller}2_{, B. Rischkowsky}3_{, S.M. Seyed Momen}4_{, O.} Alipour5_{, M. Ehsani}4_{, & S. Moradi}6

1_{Animal Science Research Institute (ASRI), P.O. Box 31585-1483, Karaj, I. R. Iran,}

*e-mail: ansarirenani@yahoo.com

2_{Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Bariloche, Argentina} 3_{International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA),}

Aleppo, Syria

4_{Agriculture and Natural Resources Research Center, Kerman, I. R. Iran} 5_{Livestock Office of Agriculture Department of Baft, Kerman, I. R. Iran} 6_{Animal Science Department, Agriculture College, University of Zanjan; Animal}

Science Research Institute (ASRI), Karaj, I. R. Iran

Abstract

This paper assesses the cashmere quality and its variation in Raeini herds to determine the scope for improvement. In April 2010 fleece weights (FW) and midsize fleece samples were taken from a total of 686 male and female cashmere goats of 1, 2 and 3 years of age belonging to 29 herds. The herds were randomly chosen in the summer grazing area of nomads within 20 km of the city of Baft, province of Kerman, South of Iran. Cashmere yield (CY) was determined from the weight of dehaired cashmere to weight of shorn f Cashmere fibers were analyzed using an OFDA instrument. A general mixed linear model including sex, age and sex by age interaction as fixed effects and herd as random effect was used to analyze the data and measure the relationships between different cashmere characteristics and fleece attributes. The overall means ± standard deviations were for fleece weights (FW) 507±183 g, cashmere yield (CY) 56.5±12.2%, mean fiber diameter (MFD) 19.7±1.5 µm, fiber diameter standard deviation (FDSD) 4.5±0.6 µm, fiber curvature (FC) 62.9±8.5 ˚/mm and staple length (SL) 54.2±7.0 mm, respectively. Herd effect was significant for all traits except for SL and sex by age effect was only significant for MFD. One year old males and females had finer cashmere than older goats. FW and FDSD were higher in males and CY and FC was higher in young animals. Pearson correlation between MFD and FC, FDSD and MFD, MFD and FW was -0.647, 0.399 and 0.211 respectively. Raeini cashmere is white, has an excellent SL and FC but is relatively coarse. Given the differences between and within herds there seems to be substantial scope to improve the commercial value of Raeini cashmere.

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Introducton

40% of the 25 mllon goat populaton n Iran s kept by nomads n a habtat of about 59% of the total area of the country (Mnstry of Agrculture, 2004). Iran together wth Afghanstan s the thrd largest producer and exporter of cashmere n the world, after Chna and Mongola (FAO, 2009). More than 50% of the Iranan cashmere s produced by Raen goats n Kerman provnce. Dehared cashmere s one of the fnest and softest luxury natural fbers of the world used manly for clothng provdng warmth and lghtness (Watkns and Buxton, 1992). Iranan cashmere s generally desgnated as 2-3 µm coarser than Chnese and Mongolan cashmere (Petre, 1995) and s therefore cheaper (Phan and Wortmann, 2000; Schneder, 2011). Ansar-Renan (2001) showed that cashmere produced by three dfferent Iranan breeds, Raen, Nadoushan and Brjand, was ndeed coarser but also longer than cashmere from Chna and Mongola.Ths paper studedcashmere qualty and ts varaton n Raen flocks n the man cashmere producng regon n Iran n order to determne the scope for mprovement.

Materals and Methods

Twenty nne Raen nomad flocks were randomly selected wthn about 20 km of the cty of Baft and a stratfed fber samplng was organzed. Samples were collected from four randomly selected goats of each sex (females, males) by age (1, 2 and 3 years) combnatons; n total 686 samples were obtaned; Samplng was conducted n early sprng (md-Aprl 2010), pror to the seasonal moult and regular annual shearng perod.

The raw cashmere samples consstng of undercoat and guard har were sent to the Alrun Fber Laboratory n Almaty, Kazakhstan for analyses. The dehared cashmere was mncored nto 2 mm snppets, washed n solvent, dred, recondtoned and then tested usng an optcal fber dameter analyzer (OFDA 4000 n the mode of an OFDA 100). Based on more than 4300 ndvdual fber measurements, mean cashmere fber dameter (MFD, µm), fber dameter standard devaton (FDSD, µm) and fber curvature (FC,˚/mm) were measured. Cashmere staple length (SL, mm) was obtaned as the mean of three staples. Analyss of varance was performed usng a mxed lnear model (Mxed Procedure of SAS, 2008).

Results and Dscusson

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represent a typcal Raen flock because of the delberate stratfed samplng n our study.

Males had on average 139.9 g (P<0.0001) hgher fleece weght than female goats but there was no sgnfcant dfference n fleece weght between goats at dfferent age. Males had also slghtly hgher cashmere yelds than females (2.6% ponts, P<0.003) and there was a slght reducton of yelds wth age (58.3, 56.1, and 55.3%, P<0.019).

Results ndcate that overall cashmere dameter was 19.7±1.5 µm. In a FAO publcaton Iranan cashmere was descrbed as havng a range of dameter of 17-21 µm and that t s chefly used for weavng (Petre, 1995).

All samples had a curvature greater than 34 ˚/mm with 17% between 34 and 60˚/mm, 61% between 61 and 75 ˚/mm and 22% between 76 and 94 ˚/mm. Compared

wth cashmere of Chna, Tajkstan and Kyrgyzstan wth mean fbre curvature of

46, 46, and 58 ˚/mm (McGregor et al., 2009); cashmere of Raen goats would be

Table 1. Overall means, standard devatons (s.d.) and ranges of fber characterstcs for Raen goats

Trat No of

anmals Mean s.d. Mnmum Maxmum

Fleece weght (g) 643 507.3 182.6 100 1,250

Cashmere yeld (%) 686 56.5 12.2 9.5 87.1

Mean fber dameter (µm) 686 19.7 1.5 14.9 25.2

Fber dameter standard devaton (µm)

686 4.5 0.6 3 7.4

Fber curvature (°/mm) 686 62.9 8.5 33.9 93.6

Staple length (mm) 686 54.2 7 40 79

Table 2. Flock average means, standard devatons (s.d.) and ranges of fber characterstcs for Raen goats

Trat No of

flocks Mean s.d. Mnmum Maxmum

Fleece weght (g) 29 505.6 94.3 306.3 678.1

Cashmere yeld (%) 29 56.5 4.5 49.9 72.6

Mean fber dameter (µm) 29 19.7 0.6 18.4 20.5

Fber dameter standard devaton (µm)

29 4.45 0.19 4.03 4.91

Fber curvature (°/mm) 29 62.9 3.3 57.8 69.3

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consdered as hghly curved and long whch s preferred for woven worsted yarn products.

Sgnfcant strong negatve relatonshp (-0.647, P<0.0001) was found between mean fber dameter and fber curvature (Fgure 1). Ths negatve relatonshp n cashmere goats of Kyrgyzstan and Australa was 51 and 39% respectvely (McGregor and Butler, 2009; McGregor et al., 2009). Average cashmere staple fber length was 54.2 mm (Table 1) wth no age or sex effects. The actual dstrbuton of staple length and FD of samples n Fgure 2 shows that there s no strong relatonshp between these two characterstcs.

Fgure 1. The relatonshp between mean fbre dameter and fbre curvature from ndvdual

goats. Symbols: does (●); bucks (○).

Fgure 2. The relatonshp between mean fbre dameter and staple length from ndvdual

goats. Symbols: does (●); bucks (○).

Development optons for cashmere producton and concluson

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n-585 Proceeding of the 2nd_{International Seminar on Animal Industry | Jakarta, 5-6 July 2012}

dcatng the potental to mprove cashmere qualty and the need for adoptng proper management and selecton methods. Ths may be acheved through selecton of goats wth fner cashmere takng care of mantanng the excellent cashmere staple length and curvature. Moreover, sortng the clp n fber dameter lnes would cer-tanly mprove cashmere qualty; cashmere fleeces from one year old goats and that of fne older goats should be kept separate from the coarser cashmere fleeces after harvestng and before packagng. Furthermore, nomad producers do not comb ther goats to harvest shed fbres, nstead they shear 1-2 months after onset of sheddng. Results from prevous studes ndcate that 30% of cashmere s lost durng sheddng season and f not harvested t would be wasted (Ansar-Renan et al., 2011). Intro-ducng combng would ncrease the weght and commercal value of cashmere.

However, at present no prce dfferental s pad to the producers for fne cash-mere, as a major porton of cashmere produced s exported wthout any added value through processng. Cashmere harvestng and buyng takes place over a short perod of tme n sprng. The nomad producers and small-scale domestc traders are not aware of world market prces for dfferent cashmere qualty classes. As a result of the current marketng system and lackng nfrastructure nomad producers do not acheve good prces and have lttle ncentve to produce better qualty cashmere.

Acknowledgments

Our nomad gude Hamd Mousapour has been extremely helpful n the logstcs and mplementaton of the feld work. We are thankful for support of Internatonal Fund for Agrcultural Development (IFAD) for fundng ths research study. Our grattude s extended to Iranan Anmal Scence Research Insttute and Agrculture and Natural Resources Center of Kerman provnce and ICARDA offce n Tehran for the support of ths project. We are also thankful for the techncans of Alrun Fber Laboratory n Almaty, Kazakhstan for cashmere measurements.

References

Ansar-Renan, H. R, P.I. Hynd. 2001. Cortsol-nduced follcle shutdown s related to staple strength n Merno sheep. Lvest. Prod. Sc., 69, 279 - 289.

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McGregor, B.A., K.L. Butler. 2009. Implcaton to fleece evaluaton derved from sources of varaton contrbutng to cashmere fber curvature. Small Rumn. Res., 81, 1–7.

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