Impact of Species Differences on Cotton Fiber Characteristics and Dye-ability

Gossypium barbadense and Gossypium hirsutum account for the vast majority of international cotton acreage. Therefore, the aim of this study is to compare the fiber quality of these cotton genotypes native to the Egyptian region with other cotton species grown worldwide to improve the understanding of cotton fiber quality and its applicability in different contexts of the textile industries. We conducted a comparative analytical study for a total of 14 cotton samples, 6 of G. barbadense (Egyptian cotton) and 8 of G. Hirsutum (Upland cotton). Fiber quality analyses of all cotton fiber samples were performed using the Uster high volume instrument (HVI) to determine fiber characteristics such as fiber length, uniformity, strength, elongation, fineness, maturity, color, and trash. Also, fiber was chemically analyzed to determine the difference in chemical constituents such as ; α-cellulose %, reducing sugar %, wax %, moisture %, ash % of fibers, and seed oil content % of the seeds among the Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium barbadense understudied samples. The dye ability of various cotton genotypes using orange reactive dye was measured, and all color measurements were analyzed. The data on fiber quality properties were analyzed. The results of fiber quality properties showed that characteristics of Gossypium barbadense have high quality compared to Gossypium hirsutum. Although G. barbadense cotton genotypes were superior to G. Hirsutum genotypes in the majority of fibers characteristics, both had good affinity to the reactive dye. Studying the differences between cotton fibers from Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium barbadense is extremely important across scientific, industrial, and agricultural domains. The novelty lies in bridging fundamental science as genomics and biochemistry to the applied innovations across various fields, such as agriculture, textiles and sustainability.