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KENAF
Charles L. Webber III, Robert E. Bledsoe, and Venita K. BledsoeUSDA, ARS, SCARL & International Kenaf Association (IKA)
International Symposium on Renewable Feedstock for Biofuel and Bio-based ProductsThe roles of fiber crops: kenaf, jute, hemp, flax, and allied fibers.
August 11-13, 2010Austin, Texas
KENAFProductionProduction
PotentialPotentialPromisesPromises
“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?”
Albert Einstein
Research
Experience &
Expertise
“To the Master's honor all must turn, each in its track, without a sound, forever tracing Newton's ground.”
Albert Einstein
“If I have been able to see further, it was only because I stood on the shoulders of giants.”
Sir Isaac Newton
(Hibiscus cannabinus L.)Warm season, annual fiber crop closely
related to cotton and okra
Kenaf
ProductionKenaf SeedOil Content = 21.4 to 26.4 %
Caution: Storing Seed to Maintain Viability Avoid High Temperatures and Humidity
Studies show seed stored at 8 - 12% relative humidity & 10 to -10oC (14 to 50oF) for 5 ½ years were fully viable.
35,000 – 40,000 seeds/kg (16,000 – 18,000 seeds/lb)
Production
Planting KenafPlant when the soil has warmed and frost has past – As early as April, & May in US
Standard Equipment
Various Row Spacings
Flat Ground or Raised Beds
Planting Plates (Sorghum), Seed Drills, or Air Seeders
Kenaf YieldsYield Factors:
Length of Growing SeasonAverage Day & Night Temperatures (Degree Days)Ample Water
Stalk yields range from 11-18 mt/ha (5 – 8 tons/a)* Over Dry WeightMarket demands for kenaf and competing crops are critical considerations.
PLANT POPULATIONSPlanting Depth 1.25 to 2.5 cm (.5 to 1 inches) Maximum Stalk Yields = 185,000-370,000 plants/ha(75,000-150,000 plants/a.Seed for Planting = 8 kg/ha (7 lb/a).Plant Populations Below 185,000 plants/ha Will Reduce Stalk Yields.Low Populations Increases Plant Branching Which Can Create Mechanical Harvesting ProblemsMore than 370,000 plants/ha Plants Self ThinningSatisfactory populations produce stalks diameters of 1.9 to 3.8 cm (.75 to 1.5 inches).
SOIL & FERTILITYWide range of soils (high organic peat soils to sandy soils)Best soil = well drained, fertile, neutral pHProper fertility maintenance maximizes yield and minimizes production costs.Excess Nitrogen can be decrease stalk yields.Soil should be analyzed prior to application of fertilizers.
Kenaf Weed ControlWeeds can reduce yields.
Initial weed control is often required. Trifluralin, Metolachlor, and Pendimethalin are among the effective pre-emergence herbicides.
Trifluralin is the standard used by kenaf researchers registered for use in kenaf grown for fiber.
Crop RotationIncluding kenaf in a crop rotation with a legume
crop is excellent managementIt reduces pest problemsIt increases soil fertility Weed management benefits
Soybean Rotation ResultsKenaf reduces the stunt (Tylenchorhynchus spp.)nematode populations significantly.Significant reduction of stunt nematodes benefits next year’s soybean production.
Potential
Twine – Rope – SackclothFirst Domesticated in North Africa1700-1800 to India1902 to Russia1935 to ChinaWorld War II to United States
HISTORY OF KENAF(U.S. Perspective)
Potential
Kenaf in United States World War II
Twine – Rope – SackclothResearch to Improve Yields Resulted
in the Developments of …Production Practices Suitable for U.S.Anthracnose Resistant VarietiesHarvesting Machinery to Increase Efficiency
In 1950’s USDA Evaluated 400 Different Species for U.S. Fiber Demands for Paper
Production
Hibiscus cannabinus L. Crotalaria juncea L.
Kenaf Sunn Hemp
In the 1950’s USDA FoundKenaf is an Excellent
Cellulose FiberSource for:NewsprintBond PaperCorrugated Liner Board
Kenaf Uses Less Energyto Process into Paper Pulp than Standard Wood SourcesKenaf Uses Less Chemicals to Process into Paper Pulp than Standard Wood Sources
In 1960’s USDA Developed 2 Improved Kenaf Varieties
Everglades71
Everglades 41
Everglades 71
Everglades 41
Stalk Yield Self Defoliating = Greater Stalk %’s
Reduced BranchingDisease Resistance
In 1960’s and 1970’sUSDA Developed and Refined
Pulping Technology for Kenaf Production System Research
Late 1980’s and 1990’sNewsprint Pulp Fiber, Corrugated Liner Board and
Bond/Specialty Papers to aVast Diversity of Potential Products and UsesBuilding Materials (i.e. Particle Board, Resin Boards, Building Insulation, Ceiling Tiles, & Concrete/Fiber Blocks, etc.)Absorbents (Animal Bedding, Land and Water Remediation, Cat, Lizard, and Chicken Litter, etc.)Textiles (threads, yarns, clothing, tarps, etc.)Livestock Feed Fiber in New and Recycled Plastic, and Sound AbsorbantsLandscape Mulch, Weed Inhibitors, and Seeding MatsSeed Oil
Variety Evaluations and Breeding Programs Plant Density and Row Spacing Irrigation and Water UsagePest Control (Weeds, Diseases, Nematodes, and Insects)Tillage Systems, Crop Rotations, and AllelopathyYield Component Research Harvesting Equipment and Processes
Late 1980’s and 1990’sProduction Research
(Fiber and Livestock Feed)
KENAF COMPONENTS
Flowers/SeedsLeavesStalks
Bark & Core
Whole Stalk Yield ComponentsLeaves & Stalks
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
K enaf Pl ant 161 DAP
Leaves -26%Stalk -74%
Mature Plants 160 Days
Leaf Biomass Percentages Decrease as Kenaf Plants Mature
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
150 DaysDays After Planting
20%
36%
Webber 1993
% Leaf Biomass
76 Days 150 Days76 Days
Kenaf Leaf, Stalk and Whole Plant Crude Protein Percentages
Leaves are 14 to 34% Crude ProteinStalks are 2 to 12% Crude ProteinWhole Plant is 6 to 23% Crude Protein
Kenaf Whole Stalk Livestock Silage
Has satisfactory digestibility with high percentage of digestible proteinDigestibility of dry matter ranges from 53 to 58%Crude Proteins range from 59 to 71%
Other Kenaf FeedsKenaf Meal used as a supplement to rice ration for sheep.
Compares favorably with rations containing alfalfa meal.
Chopped Kenaf is suitable feed stock for Spanish goats (meat type).
29% dry matter, 15.5% crude protein and 25% acid detergent.
Kenaf Stalks Average by Weight
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Bark 35%
Core 65%
35% Bark - Long Bast Fibers65% Woody Core – Short Core Fibers
Webber 1993Stalks Without Leaves
Kenaf Bast Fiber
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
BarkMaterial
Bast Fiber
Bark Material Pulped Produced 57% Yield of Bast Fiber by Weight
Bale of Bast FiberKalgren 1991
57%
Kenaf Bast FibersPaper Pulp Plus
Domestic Supply of Cordage Fiber forRopeTwineCarpet BackingBurlap
Potential Fiber Source in Manufacturing forAutomobile Components Carpet PaddingReplace Synthetic Fibers, such as in FiberglassTextilesFibers for Injection Molded and Extruded Plastics
Bast Fiber = 17.4% to 28.6% of Whole Stalk Dry Weight
Environmentally Friendly Kenaf Bast Fibers
Fiber Lawn Mats Impregnated with Grass SeedsSpray on Mulches
Along Highway Right of WaysConstruction Sites To Prevent Soil Erosion from Water & Wind
Fibers in Biodegradable Plastics
Chemical Pulping of Kenaf Woody Core
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Woody Core Core Pulp
Core Material Pulped Produced 41% Yield of Core Fiber Pulp by Weight
Kalgren 1991
Kenaf Core = High Absorbency
Therefore Useful For…..Poultry litterAnimal BeddingBulking Agent for Sewage Sludge CompostingPotting Soil AmendmentToxic Waste CleanupOil SpillsRemediation of Chemically Contaminated Soils
Kenaf Core = 20% to 40% of Stalk Weight
Harvesting Methods Depend on…Production AreaEquipment AvailabilityProcessing MethodFinal Product Use
Kenaf Cut and Field DriedHarvested with Forage Equipment,
Dried and Made into
Small or Large Square or Round Bales
Cotton Modules for Field Side Storage
Sugar Cane Harvester With or Without Modification
Forage Harvester Then a In-Field Cuber
Dry Stalk Kenaf
Low Density = Light Weight Material
Density of 0.31 g/cm3
(19.6 lb/ft3)
Chopped Kenaf Fiber Without Compressing
Density = 0.1 g/cm3 (6.2 lb/ft3)
Kenaf Cubes & Pellets
Increase Kenaf Density 390% = 1.21 g/cm3 (75.6 lb/ft3) compared to 0.31 g/cm3 (19.6 lb/ft3) of unprocessed kenaf.
Processing Methods & Equipment Depend on
Equipment AvailabilityEconomics Involved (Transportation, Storage, etc.)Available Commercial MarketsAlso, Need of End User
Whole Stalk (unmodified or chopped)Separated Parts of the Stalk (Bast &/or Core)
KENAFKENAFProductionProduction
PotentialPotential
PromisesPromises
Research and Advantages
Useful Yield Components
Growing Market Opportunities
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