Fibre crops are a group of plants that are specifically grown for the production of fibres. Fibres are thin thread-like structures present in the stems, leaves, or seeds of these plants. These fibres play a major role in making products such as ropes, clothes and other materials. Crops that are used to extract these fibres are hemp, cotton, flax, jute etc. As there is an increasing demand for eco-friendly products, the use of these fibre crops and their products is expected to rise in the future as they are highly beneficial.
Table of Content
What is Fibre Crops?
Fibre crops fall under the category of natural fibres as they are obtained from plants as a main source. Different plants serve as a source for these fibres. They are cotton, coir, jute, hemp, flax etc. They are different from other crops due to the high concentration of cellulose that is present in these crops.It is responsible for their strength. The fibre crops also have a very high length, flexibility and uniformity. Fibres are a component of the plant skeleton; they are sclerenchyma cells that are associated with the vascular tissues that are present in these plants.
Also Read: Permanent Tissue
These are a group of elongated cells that form bundles, providing flexibility and strength for stems and leaves. These cells are long and have pointed ends. The raw materials obtained from the plants which is then converted into yarn and used in the production of fabrics. Another category of fibres that are not obtained from natural sources are also present, they are called as synthetic fibres. These fibres are classified into three categories based on property and uses. They are filling fibres, textile fibres, cordage fibres.
Process of Fibre Crops
In the recent times, fibres are obtained directly from the fibre plants compared to olden days where they recycled the old textiles. The process of extraction depends upon the type of fibre.
Bast fibres are obtained using a process called as retting using microbes. The soft tissues are detached from the fibre plant with help of bacteria. When machines are used for this purpose, a process called as ginning is used to obtain soft fibres and a process called as decortication is used to obtain hard fibres
Fibre Crops and Fibres Obtained
Fibre crops can be differentiated into different types on the basis of the parts of the plant from which the fibres are obtained such as:
- Bast fibre, leaf fibre and seed fibre. Hemp, papyrus, hoop vine are fibre crops that are used to obtain bast fibre.
- Fibres obtained from leaves are called as leaf fibres and plant such as yucca, abaca and bowstring hemp are majorly used.
- Fruits and seeds are also used to obtain fibres these are called as seed fibre, fibre crops such as milkweed, cotton and bamboo play a major role.
Examples of fibre crops
Examples of fibre crops includes cotton, jute, hemp, coir, flax
Cotton
- Cotton is a natural fibre that is obtained from fibre crop cotton. This is a tropical plant which grows well in black soil and warm climate.
- Cotton belongs to the Malvaceae family and falls in the Gossypium genus. It is a flowering plant.
- Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, rajasthan and Punjab are major cotton producing states in India
- The cotton plants seed is used to derive the cotton fibre. It is available widely, cheap and highly durable.
- It is majorly used in the production of textile fabrics or cloths such as shirts, trousers and other materials
Jute
- Jute fibres are derived from inner bast tissues of jute plant especially from Corchorus species. It is an annual crop.
- Jute fibres are yellowish brown in colour. Jute is also known as the “golden fibre” because of its colour. It is long, shiny and soft.
- They are highly tensile and durable. They are also called as lingo-cellulosic fibres as they contain lignin and cellulose.
- India is the world’s largest producer of jute majorly is states like West Bengal.
- It is used to make ropes, floor mats, carpets, sacks, jute bags etc.
Hemp
- It is a naturally obtained fibre and belongs to Cannabaceae family.
- It is very soft and durable. Fibres are derived from stalks of the plants.
- It was produced majorly for industrial purposes such as paper, textile, fuel, construction etc.
- It is in high demand and used to produce ropes, sacks and other items even today.
Coir
- It is extracted from coconut plant and is naturally occurring plant fibre.
- It is obtained from the husk of coconuts.
- It is majorly used in production of ropes, sacks, brushes and floor mats.
Flax
- The flax plant belong to the Linaceae family and falls in the Linum genus.
- It is also known as linseed or common flax seeds.
- They originated in the eastern Mediterranean and were grown in Egypt and Ethiopia.
- These fibres are old and existed around 30,000 BC.
- They were used in production of ropes, high quality papers etc…
Uses of Fibre Crops
Fibre crops are majorly use as filling fibres, textile fibres, cordage fibres. Fibre crops are grown for their fibres, which are used for making useful products like clothes, ropes papers etc. Fibre crops like cotton are majorly used to make fabrics for clothes. T-shirts and bed sheets are often prepared from these.
Fibre crops like hemp is used to make paper. Notebooks are made from fibres in these plants ,another major use is to prepare ropes, plants like jute are used to make strong ropes. Plants like coir are used to make baskets, mats and filling mattresses etc. Flax is used in production of ropes, high quality papers
Properties of Fibre Crops
Fibre crops have the following properties:
- Fibre crops have high length, width and uniformity.
- They are highly flexible in nature. Plant fibres are rigid and also have high tensile strength.
- Plant fibres are biodegradable in nature.
- Plant fibres are very strong and highly durable for their use in fabrics. Plant fibres are cheap and economically affordable.
- Fibre elongation is the major property of plant fibres in terms of fiber processing.It is also highly resistant to wear and tear.
In summary, due to advancement in the technology synthetic fibres have replaced the natural fibres in major uses but in recent times natural fibres from fibre crops are once again gaining their importance in this field due to growing awareness of the advantages of natural fibres over synthetic fibre for both the environment and human health in many parts of the world.
Also Read:
FAQ’s – Fibre Crops
1. Definition of Fibre Crops.
Crops grown especially for extracting fibres are called as fibre crops.These are used to manufacture ropes,sacks etc. Jute and cotton are examples of fibre crops.
2. Is Coconut a Fibre Crop?
No, Coconut is not a fibre crop.The coir from coconut is a fibre crop and it is present in between the outer coat and the inner shell of a coconut. It is majorly used for production of brushes.
3. Which Fibre Crop is known as the “Golden Fibre”?
Jute is known as the “golden fibre” because of its yellowish brown colour.It is used to make ropes, floor mats, carpets etc.
4. Why are Plant Fibres Losing their Importance?
It is because of advancement of technology and increase in artificial fibres such as nylon. These are cost effective and durable than natural fibres.
5. What is the Most common use of Fibre Crops?
Fiber crops are plants that are commercially grown for the production of fibers. These are used for filling (mattresses),textile (clothes)and cordage (ropes).