Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T10:59:37.289Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The relationship between diet, the copper and sulphur content of wool, and fibre characteristics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

U. R. Kapoor ,
O. N. Agarwala ,
V. C. Pachauri ,
K. Nath  and
S. Narayan
U. R. Kapoor
Affiliation:
Indian Veterinary Research Institute, IzatnagarU.P.India.
O. N. Agarwala
Affiliation:
Indian Veterinary Research Institute, IzatnagarU.P.India.
V. C. Pachauri
Affiliation:
Indian Veterinary Research Institute, IzatnagarU.P.India.
K. Nath
Affiliation:
Indian Veterinary Research Institute, IzatnagarU.P.India.
S. Narayan
Affiliation:
Department of Sheep & Wool, Government of RajasthanJaipur, India.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Thirty-six rams of Chokla breed of about 1–1½12 years of age were randomly divided into six groups and were fed for 4 months on a basal ration of Cynodon dactylon grass or its hay ad libitum. One group acted as the control, while the rations of the remaining groups were respectively supplemented with 250 g of a concentrate mixture, 250 g of lucerne hay, mg CoCl2.6H2O, 10 mg CuSO4.5H2O and 1 mg CoCl2. 6H2O plus 10 mg CuSO4. 5H2O per animal per day. The mean copper, sulphur and cobalt ingestion in the different groups respectively ranged from.1 to 9·7, 475 to 2030 and 0·10 to 0·53 mg per animal per day. The copper, sulphur, fibre diameter, staple length, medullation percentage, crimp per cm and staining grade were not significantly (P > 0·05) affected by the different dietary treatments. The wool copper was strongly correlated with wool sulphur (r = + 0·79) and both were inversely correlated with fibre diameter and medullation percentage. Wool sulphur, but not wool copper, was inversely correlated with staple length. Wool copper, but not wool sulphur, was inversely correlated with the staining grade of canary coloured wool. Staining grade was inversely correlated with fibre diameter as well as crimps per cm. The results suggest that copper plays an intrinsic role in the marshalling of the sulphur component of wool and in the synthetic mechanism of the wool fibre. A suggestion has been made that copper may be playing a biochemical part in the physiological processes causing canary coloration in Indian wools.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 79 , Issue 1 , August 1972 , pp. 109 - 114
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1972

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

A.O.A.C. (1955). Official Methods of Analysis of the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists, 8th ed. Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
Barker, S. G. (1931). Wool Quality. London: H.M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Barritt, J. & King, A. T. (1926). The sulphur content of wool. I. Inherent variations according to the type of wool. J. Text. Inst. 17, T 386.Google Scholar
Barritt, J. & King, A. T. (1931). Note on the sulphur free nature of medulla in Blackface wool. Biochem. J. 25, 1075.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bonsma, P. N. & Joubert, P. J. (1934). The sulphur content of Merino wool: Its distribution and relation to fineness and quality. S. Afr. J. Sci. 31, 347.Google Scholar
Burley, R. W. (1960). Experiments on wool from copper-deficient sheep. I. Some physical measurements on intact fibres and experiments on the dissolution and fractionation of oxidised wool. Text. Res. J. 30, 473–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chipalkutti, H. R., Sole, A. D., Juneja, K. K. & Aggarwal, M. C. (1965). Some observations on canary coloration in Indian raw wools. J. Text. Inst. 56, T 649–T 664.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daly, R. A. & Carter, H. B. (1956). Fleece growth of young Lincoln, Corriedale, Polwarth and fine Merino maiden ewes grazed on an unimproved aspalum pasture. Ausl. J. agric. Res. 7, 76–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Doney, J. M. & Evans, C. C. (1968). The influence of season and nutrition on the sulphur content of wool from Merino and Cheviot sheep. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 70, 111–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Earland, C. (1961). Text. Res. J. 31, 492.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eden, A. & Green, H. H. (1940). Micio-determination of copper in biological material. Biochem. J. 34, 1202–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Freney, M. B. (1940). Chemical investigation on the fleece of sheep. Bull. Coun. Sdent. lnd. Res., Melb., no. 130.Google Scholar
Gillespie, J. M. & Reis, P. J. (1966). The dietary regulated biosynthesis of high sulphur wool proteins. Biochem. J. 98, 669–77.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gillespie, J. M., Reis, P. J. & Schinckel, P. G. (1964). The isolation and properties of some soluble proteins from wool. IX. The protein in wools of increased sulphur content. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 17, 548–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Healy, W. B. & Zieleman, A. M. (1966). Macro and micro element content of Newzealand wool. N.Z. Jl agric. Res. 9, 1073–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Juneja, K. K., Sule, A. D. & Chipalkutti, H. R. (1965). Estimation of sulphur content of wool by perchloric acid oxidation. Text. Res. J. 35, 950–1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kidson, E. B. & Askew, H. O. (1939). A critical examination of the nitroso-R salt method for the determination of cobalt in pastures. N.Z. Jl Sci. Technol. 21, 178.Google Scholar
Larose, P. & Tweedie, A. S. (1937). The variation of the sulphur content of wool. Can. J. Res. B 15, 124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marston, H. R. (1946). Nutrition and wool production. Proc. Sym. on Fibrous Proteins, pp. 207—14. Leeds: Society of Dyers and Colourists.Google Scholar
Marston, H. R. (1952). Cobalt, copper andmolybdenum in the nutrition and plants. Physiol. Rev. 32, 66–121.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marston, H. R. & Lee, H. J. (1948). The effect of copper deficiency and of chronic overdosage with copper on Border Leicester and Merino sheep. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 38, 229–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nagercenkar, R. & Bhattacharya, P. (1964). Factors responsible for canary coloration of the wool. Indian J. Vet. Sci. 34, 46–s60Google Scholar
Narayan, S. & Sharma, R. S. (1968). A few observations of yellow staining in the fleece with some characteristics of the sheep in Rajasthan breeds. Indian Vet. J. 45, 760–73.Google ScholarPubMed
Palmer, R. C. (1949). Some properties of the wool from copper starved Merino sheep. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 39, 265–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Piper, L. R. & Dolling, C. H. S. (1966). Variation in the sulphur content of wool of Merino sheep associated with genetic differences in wool producing capacity. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 19, 1179–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reis, P. J. (1965). Unpublished data referred to by Reis and Williams (1965). Aust. J. agric. Res. 16, 1011–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reis, P. J. (1965). Growth and composition of wool. III. Variations in the sulphur content of wool. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 18, 671–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reis, P. J. & Schinckel, P. G. (1963). Some effects of sulphur containing amino acids on the growth and composition of wool. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 16, 218–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reis, P. J. & Schinckel, P. G. (1964). The growth and composition of wool. 2. The effect of casein, gelatin and sulphur containing amino acids given per abomasum. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 17, 532–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reis, P. J., Tunks, D. A., Williams, O. B. & Williams, A. J. (1967). A relationship between sulphur content of wool and wool production by merino sheep. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 20, 153–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reis, P. J. & Williams, O. B. (1965). Variations in the sulphur content of wool from Merino sheep on two semi-arid grasslands. Aust. J. agric. Res. 16, 1011–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ross, D. A. (1961). Biological aspects of the sulphur content of Romney wool. Proc. N.Z. Soc. Anim. Prod. 21, 153.Google Scholar
Ryder, M. L. & Stephenson, S. K. (1968). Wool Orowth. London: Academic Press Inc.Google Scholar
Serra, J. A. & De Matos, R. M. A. (1951). Nature of the Canary Coloration of Wool. J. Text. Inst. 42, 1329.Google Scholar
Underwood, E. J. (1962). Trace Elements in Human and Animal Nutrition, 2nd ed. New York: Academic Press, Inc.Google Scholar
Van Koestveld, E. E. (1954). Effect of diet on hair and the composition of hair. Nutr. Abstr. Rev. 24, 836.Google Scholar