Fiber and Yarn Properties from High-Speed Roller Ginning of Upland Cotton

Selective breeding has improved upland cotton fiber properties. New high-speed roller ginning technology has advanced to the point that processing capacities have approached that of saw ginning. Producers seeking a better price for their upland cotton are interested in fiber property and textile mill performance data comparing cultivars processed by both saw and roller ginning. Three diverse cultivars, one of them stripper-harvested, were processed by saw ginning, conventional roller ginning, and high-speed roller ginning, with different levels of lint cleaning appropriate to each treatment. Samples were submitted for HVI and AFIS fiber property analysis. Ring-spun yarn from each treatment was tested. Results showed that the roller gin (conventional and high speed) produced fiber that was longer, more uniform, had less short fiber, and fewer neps than the saw gin stand. Turnout, color grade, and leaf were not different among gin stand type. With respect to yarn properties, the conventional/high-speed roller gin had fewer thick places, but was higher in vegetable and foreign dark matter (contaminants), seed coats, and neps. The composition of neps changed as fiber was processed into yarn. The conventional/high-speed roller gin had fewer raw stock and card mat neps than the saw gin stand, but more neps in finished yarn. Differences among cultivar were prevalent throughout the study. In addition to differences in length, strength, and immature fiber content, the cultivar that was stripper harvested had double the trash content at harvest. There were differences in most fiber properties, but not yarn properties, among lint cleaner type. Roller gin lint cleaning was less aggressive than saw-type lint cleaning and had longer fiber, better uniformity, and fewer neps. Saw-type lint cleaning had better color and leaf grades, and less lint trash. There was no appreciable difference between the two types of roller gin lint cleaning used, but one saw-type lint cleaner as opposed to two was less damaging to the fiber. Although roller ginned upland cotton is a niche market, textile mills value the higher quality obtained from roller ginning. Newer upland cultivars may make roller ginning a viable option in parts of the Unites States where roller ginning has not been available previously.