Fiber Micronaire, Fineness, and Maturity Predictions Using NIR Spectroscopy Instruments on Seed Cotton and Cotton Fiber, in and Outside the Laboratory

摘要

Micronaire is an important fiber qualityparameter in the cotton and textile industry. Micronaireis a function of maturity (the degree ofthe fiber secondary wall development) and fineness(linear density). In prior research, bench-topnear infrared (NIR) spectroscopy demonstratedthe ability to measure micronaire, maturity,and fineness in and out of the laboratory. Small,portable handheld NIR instruments have beenintroduced and a program was established tomeasure micronaire in and outside the laboratoryon seed cotton fiber and cotton lint, and consequentlyto measure maturity and fineness in thefiber. Adding new data to the original commerciallint-only samples, including data from differentenvironments (laboratory and greenhouse) andfiber type conditions (laboratory ginned lint andseed cotton) made the calibration more robust, increasingthe accuracy of the two NIR instruments(MicroNIR 2200 and Luminar5030) used in thisexperiment. Each instrument has its individualstrengths. It is advisable to use the instrumentthat best fits the laboratory research objectives.