Article FIBRE YIELDING PLANTS OF INDIA Genetic resources, perspective for collection and utilisation Anjula Pandey and Rita Gupta National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi-110012, India (excluding wood fibres) are grouped into Abstract soft fibres/ bast fibres, hard fibres or structural fibres and surface fibres. Bast The paper provides a brief overview of the major fibre yielding plants and fibres are exogenous in origin and are their uses in India. This account includes data mainly based on field experience, generally more durable, resistant to market surveys, ethnobotanical information and other relevant literature retting, bleaching and other processing available on this account. The enumeration of the species listed under various treatments. They are associated with plant families provides ready reference for use and commercial names of vascular tissues, such as phloem, pericycle important fibre types. The analysis provides the untapped wealth under this and cortex. Examples of bast fibres are category for widening the base of fibre genetic resources, future collections jute, hemp, flax, roselle, ramie, etc. and utilisation. The promising species thus indicated may provide scope for Structural fibres primarily associated with domestication and future cultivation. monocotyledonous plants are shorter, lignified cells surrounding vascular tissue. Introduction Gradual depletion of forest They are endogenous in nature, coarse, resources of plant based material resulted weaker, hard and brittle and thus less Among the plant species in loss of important diversity. The plant durable than the bast fibres. The common commonly used by man the fibre yielding fibres have specific qualities such as examples include Manila hemp, Sisal and plants hold the second position after the thermal insulation, resistance to water and Kittul fibres. The separation is done by food plants in their economic importance. other desirable traits. To increase constant mechanical methods using simple rollers; The ancient man started his nomadic life supply of raw materials to plant fibre based washing, beating and thrashing process is by using plant materials directly for industries a need was felt to explore and usually applied to make them into shreds. covering and protecting his body; thatched identify alternative materials. By identifying The surface fibres originate from the seed/ leaf for shelters and huts; mats for new fibre yielding species as well as novel fruit surface. Cottons and the silk cottons household and other day to day activities. uses of fibre through research and are common examples of commercial Gradually fast mobility and advancement development, there would be decrease in surface fibres. Fibre separation is done by in the lifestyle led him to search for lighter, pressure on handful number of species the process of ginning and mechanical more durable and sophisticated looking used for fibre, besides supporting the extraction. material for routine use. There began an small scale industry and reinforcing fibre The plant fibres are variable in era of developing different types of textiles, for waste fibre recycling (Gillah et al, characteristics with respect to strength, papers, basketories, woven clothes, mats, 1998; Velasquez, 2001). The present durability, length, texture, plant part in hats, ropes and cordage material for enumeration is an effort in this direction. which present, chemical composition, various uses. Some of the oldest The plant fibres are classified pigmentation, resistance to water, etc. archaeological records of direct or mainly on the basis of morphological Fibre durability depends largely on the indirect use of fibre from plants are given nature, structure, origin and uses. Based chemical nature of the deposits and in Table 1. on botanical origin, vegetable fibres location in plant tissue. The cellulosic 194 Natural Product Radiance Vol 2(4) July-August 2003 Article fibres such as ramie and cotton fibres are Centre); Musa textilis Nees (South east species contribute as major cultivated fibre more durable than the ligno-cellulosic Asian Centre); Corchorus capsularis crops. However several of the species are fibres, jute and mesta. The strength of fibre Linn., Crotalaria juncea Linn. and gathered from wild and exploited for is mainly due to purity of cellulose, Hibiscus cannabinus Linn. commercial use. thickness of the cell wall and the (Hindustani Centre); Agave sisalana A total of 82 plant families, clustering. Perr. (Meso-American Centre) and representing 273 genera and 453 plant The present work was Gossypium hirsutum Linn. (South species from India have been used for undertaken to enumerate Indian species American Centre). Presently in India eight diverse fibre uses. A comprehensive list reported to have fibre value, identifying gaps for collection and conservation programmes and their utilisation at national and international levels. The investigation was done during study on 'Genetic Resources of Economically Important Plant Families` taken up in the National Herbarium of Cultivated Plants, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) during the period Cannabis sativus 1986-2000. The data input includes major and minor, cultivated and wild, indigenous Boehmeria nivea and exotic plant wealth exploited for fibre in different parts of India. The information gathered through field experience, material collected through various explorations, ethnobotanical studies, literature surveys and taxonomic identification of materials received Gossypium hirsutum through different plant genetic resources activities, formed the basis for authentication. Fibre yielding species - An Agave sisalana analysis of useful genetic resources Calotropis procera Species have not been exploited equally from different phytogeographical regions of the world for their use as fibres. Vavilov (1951) identified several cultivated species from different world centers of diversity namely Abutilon theophrastii Medic., Boehmeria nivea Gaud., Musa textilis Ananas comosus Cannabis sativus Linn.(Chinese Natural Product Radiance Vol 2(4) July-August 2003 195 Article of major families and genera (number of Mart., Melochia corchorifolia Linn., For filling of articles like pillows, species in parenthesis) contributing as Cryptolepis grandiflora, Crotalaria mattresses, toys, soft fibre from fibre genetic resources viz. Malvaceae juncea Linn., Entada phaseoloides Gossypium, Ceiba and Bombax and (63), Fabaceae (31), Arecaceae (25), Merrill, Artocarpus altilis (Park.) rejects from other sources are often used. Urticaceae (24), Tiliaceae (21), Fosberg, Trema cannabina Lour., The fibres from Phoenix sylvestris Sterculiaceae (21) and Asclepiadaceae Oreocnide frutescens Miq., Roxb. and Ceiba pentandra (Linn.) (15) are given in Table 2. The most Calotropis gigantea (Linn.) R.Br., Gaertn. are thermal insulator. The curled commonly exploited taxa are marked with C. procera (Ait.)R. Br., Boehmeria fibre from Chamaerops humilis is asterisk (*). List of commercial species spp. and Debregeasia wallichiana used for stuffing and carpets manufacture. along with trade names/ commonly used Wedd. Hard fibres or structural fibres names are listed in Table 3. The manufacture of paper from are mainly used for making articles like Majority of the species are pulp has been known in China from very basketories, mats, hats and brushes. For exploited from wild or semi-cultivated early times. In India generally diverse type this purpose parts like leaves, green spathe state (Negi, 1992). The plant fibres are of material is used for manufacture of and dried stalks are used. The most extracted from different parts such as paper such as different species of commonly used types being from stem, leaf, petioles, roots, fruits and seeds. bamboos, refuge from textile industry, Caryota utilis, C. urens Linn., In comparison to other plant parts, the grasses and sedges (mainly Cyperus). Phoenix, Phytolephas, Raphia bast fibres have been of maximum use for The rice straw, young bamboos, bark of farinifera Hylander and many other extraction of fibre. A few species paper mulberry are regular source of soft types locally preferred. In this category contribute as source of fibre from roots and flexible fibres generally used for majority of fibres are contributed from and stems both (eg. Cissus paper. Unique examples are the home different genera under families Araceae, quadrangularis Linn.)and from roots made paper of Assam from bark of Arecaceae, Liliaceae and Poaceae (Muhlenbergia). Natural fibre cloth Aquilaria agallocha Roxb. and (Table 2). known as trapa cloth is made from bark Lasiosiphon eriocephalus Decne of Paper-Mulberry (Broussonetia and rice paper from Wikstroemia Important fibre yielding papyrifera Vent.). canescens Meissn. (in China and species The fibres are mainly used for Assam). Among the much used species are textile and paper manufacture, filling, Daphne cannabina Wall., Urtica The fibres obtained from the making ropes, fishing nets and cordage, spp., Broussonetia papyrifera Vent., grass family were probably among the first thatch, hats and other weaving materials Hibiscus cannabinus Linn., H. ones to be used for various purposes. The and brush making. For items like gunny sabdariffa Linn., Streblus asper indigenous grass, Erianthus munja bags, ropes, cordage, fishing nets, bast Lour., Parkinsonia aculeate Linn., Jesw. is made into ropes that are resistant fibres of commercially exploited species Linum usitatissimum Linn., Betula to water and used for