The Influence of Breed and Body Region on the Wool Fibre Diameter

To investigate the influence of a breed and body region on the wool fibre diameter, the wool samples were taken from the three body regions (shoulder, rib, and rump) of the three sheep breeds: the Merinolandschaf (ML – closed fleece), Pag sheep (PS – semi-open fleece), and the Travnik Pramenka sheep (TP – open fleece). A significant difference in fleece yield was determined between the breeds investigated (P < 0.001). The smallest fibre diameter was detected in the Merinolandschaf sheep breed (27.70 μm), a slightly larger in the Pag sheep (27.78 μm), while the largest was established in the Travnik Pramenka sheep (39.57 μm). The average fibre diameter of the Merinolandschaf sheep breed’s wool and of the Pag sheep breed’s wool was similar and significantly smaller than that of the Travnik Pramenka sheep breed’s wool (P < 0.001). The finest fibres came from the shoulder (ML, 25.13 μm; PS, 25.56 μm; TP, 37.14 μm) and then from the rib (ML, 27.83 μm; PS, 27.57 μm; TP, 39.76 μm), while the coarsest wool was found in the rump samples (ML, 30.13 μm; PS, 30.22 μm; TP, 41.83 μm) in the fleece of the investigated sheep breeds. The research determined a significant influence (P < 0.001) of a body region on a fibre diameter of the investigated breeds.