Effects of fiber wax and cellulose content on colored cotton fiber quality

Forty-eight colored cotton lines and hybrids were studied on the wax, cellulose content and fiber quality. The result were as follow: The wax content of green cotton was five to eight times greater than that of white cotton. As for the brown cotton lines, the darker the brown fiber color, the greater the content of the fiber wax. The wax content of dark brown cotton was two times greater than that of white cotton. However, the content of the cellulose of white cotton was the greatest, next was that of the brown cotton, and the content of the cellulose of green fiber was the lowest. There were differences in fiber length, fiber strength, and fiber uniformity, not only among different varieties with the same color fiber, but also among different coloring types. The content of cellulose had a significantly negative correlation with the content of wax and fiber elongation, but significantly positive correlations between the content of cellulose and fiber length, fiber strength, fiber fineness, lint index, boll weight, and fiber uniformity were observed in the color cotton lines used in this experiment. The study on wax and cellulose contents will give constructive advice for the breeding and molecular research of the colored cotton, and help increasing the color stability of the fiber and its textiles.