Variation of Commercially Important Characteristics Among Sampling Sites for Vicuña (Vicugna Vicugna Mensalis) Fleeces
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Quispe et al./Journal of Camelid Science 2014, 7:1-14 http://www.isocard.net/en/journal Variation of commercially important characteristics among sampling sites for vicuña (Vicugna vicugna mensalis) fleeces Edgar Carlos Quispe1,*, Fiorella Sánchez2, Jordi Bartolomé Filella3, Leopoldo Alfonso Ruiz4 1Department of Veterinary Medicine and Husbandry, Universidad Nacional Micaela Bastidas de Apurímac, Patibamba Baja s/n, Abancay, Perú. 2Faculty of Engineering, National Universidad de Trujillo, Perú. Department of Animal and Food Science, Ruminant Research Group. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193, Spain. 4Department de Agrarian Production, Universidad Pública de Navarra, Pamplona 31006, Spain. Abstract The aim was to evaluate variations in important commercial characteristics of vicuña fibre, and to determine the best areas for sampling and classification of vicuña fleece. Fibre samples were taken from 30 vicuña (males = 15, females = 15; adults = 10, juveniles = 10, cria = 10) at 12 body sites: neck (N), forelimb (FL), hindlimb (HL), anterior saddle (AS1, AS2 and AS3), central saddle (CS1, CS2 and CS3) and posterior saddle (PS1, PS2 and PS3). Samples were taken during the annual capture of vicuña (chaku), at Saccsalla (4700 m above sea level), the Research Center of South American Camelids, at Lachocc (Huancavelica, Peru), and part of the National University Huancavelica (UNH). The fibre samples were examined with the Optical Fibre Diameter Analyzer (OFDA2000) at the UNH Laboratory of wools and fibres. Results indicate that the source of variation among regions is relatively high (> 30%) for the average fibre diameter (AFD), the coefficient of variation of fibre diameter (CVD), the spinning fineness (SF) and fibre curvature (FC). There was evidence that age, gender and sampling site affected these fibre characteristics. It was determined that the area CS3 (located 10 cm from the dorsal linear on the 10th rib, near the mid back) was the best site sampling for ADF and SF studies. This result differs from earlier reports on the best sampling site to evaluate fleeces of alpacas, sheep and Angora goats. Keywords: Fibre curvature, fibre diameter, fibre diameter variation, sampling site, vicuña. * Corresponding author. Edgar Carlos Quispe, Universidad Nacional Micaela Bastidas de Apurímac, Abancay, Perú. Tel.: +51- 981926552. Correo electrónico: [email protected] Introduction throughout the Andes region of South The smallest South American camelid, the America. The chaku consisted of herding vicuña (Vicugna vicugna), is a rare wild thousands of vicuña into stone corrals for animal. It is found over much of the high shearing (Bonacic, 2005). In Peru the chaku altitude zone of Perú (3000 m to 5000 m), and is conducted each year to avoid it is also found in Bolivia, Chile, Argentina indiscriminate hunting. and Ecuador. The vicuña has a double-coated The sale of vicuña fibre is an important fleece, with coarser guard hair fibres, and an economic resource for many Peruvian abundant fine undercoat of shorter (down) communities. These communities are fibres. The average diameter of fine fibres responsible for the captive management of ranges between 10.8 and 16.0 μm (Quispe et vicuña in fenced areas with up to 1000 ha al., 2009). The vicuña has been captured, (Vilá, 2002). Under Peruvian law, the fibre handled and sheared since the 15th century, can be harvested by the community while the when the Inca Empire conducted the “chaku” 1 Quispe et al./Journal of Camelid Science 2014, 7:1-14 http://www.isocard.net/en/journal animals remain the property of the state fibre diameter for each of these sources of (usufruct) (Quispe et al., 2010). variation were: 16, 4, 64 and 16% Two subspecies of vicuña have been respectively (Hansford, 1992). Therefore it is described. The first (the southern), Vicugna important know the body region or sampling vicugna vicugna is said to occur between 18° site that best represents the whole fleece, and 29°S latitude, while the second, the because it is known that the technological northern Vicugna vicugna mensalis, is characteristics of the fleeces vary between reported between 9°30’ and 18°S latitude different body parts of the animal, such as (Wheeler, 1995). Subspecies classification is was determined in sheep (Doney and Smith, based upon differences in morphology, 1961; Tabbaa et al., 2001; Fish et al., 2002), including length of molars, height of withers, goats (Newman and Paterson, 1999; Taddeo length of chest hair and pelage colour (Sarno et al., 2000; McGregor and Butler, 2008) and et al., 2003). The subspecies mensalis has a alpacas (Newman and Paterson, 1996; dark cinnamon colour and white pectoral Aylan-Parker and McGregor, 2002; hairs with abundant coarse fibre, and the McGregor et al., 2012). Several studies have subspecies vicugna has a more whitish concluded that the fibre diameter at the 10th pelage, is larger and has no white pectoral rib region is the most representative site for hairs (Yacobaccio, 2006). predicting the average diameter of the whole fleece in Merino sheep and alpacas (Turner et The price of dehaired vicuña fibre can al., 1953; Saddick, 1993; Aylan-Parker and vary between $US 300–800 per kg. McGregor, 2002). This approach has been Assessment of vicuña fibre is mainly related used with vicuña fleece, but there has been to its fine fibre diameter (Bonacic, 2005; little research to confirm this approach as the Cardellino and Mueller, 2009; Quispe et al., most suitable for the characterization and 2009; Quispe et al., 2010) and rarity (Watson classification of vicuña fleece. and Buxton, 1992). However, other textile properties that are important during For these reasons, the aim of this study processing and for raw fibre classification, was to evaluate the different technological such as coefficient of variation of fibre characteristics of the vicuña fibre at different diameter, fibre curvature, tensile strength and sites of the body for variability of softness, have been little studied and there are characteristics and to subsequently determine few reports about these attributes (Quispe et the best site to sample in order to assess the al., 2010; McGregor, 2014). whole vicuña fleece. Fibre diameter and its variation over the Materials and methods body are the most important parameters of This work was carried out at the Research the fleece from a textile and technological Center of South American Camelids. The point of view, so their determination is center is located in the Puna ecosystem of essential to qualify and establish the price of Lachocc community (4700 m above sea fibre (Carpio, 1991). It has been determined level) in Huancavelica, Perú. The vicuña in Merino sheep that the components of total population of the station comprised variance of fibre diameter within a herd are: approximately 300 animals living at a) variation between fleeces, b) variation Saccsalla on a corral of 500 ha. The area has between body sites, c) variation between water available and natural pasture, of which fibres within a staple, and d) variation along the predominant species are Poaceae, a fibre. The contributions to total variation of 2 Quispe et al./Journal of Camelid Science 2014, 7:1-14 http://www.isocard.net/en/journal Cyperaceae, Asteraceae and Juncacea processing (Kuehl, 2000). The varComp- families (Quispe et al., 2010). package of R (Qu et al., 2013) was used to On 14 October 2011 a chaku was held and obtain variance components estimates of fibre sampling was conducted. During the fibre characteristics between fleeces (or chaku, 150 people organized into different animals), within fleece (sites) and residual, groups and under the direction of a using the best mixed-effect model: supervisor, formed human chains in order to yijklm=µ+Sexi+Agej+Animalk+Sitel/Animalk direct groups of vicuña to a management +eijklm, with Sex and Age as fixed effects and yard. As shown in Table 1, 131 vicuña were Site and Animal as random effects. A Duncan captured, and 83 were shorn using a Heiniger test was used for comparison among fibre shearing machine. Only animals over 1 year characteristics from different sampling sites of age, without health problems, and with Pearson correlations for 5 characteristics more than 2.5 cm fibre length measured at the in each sampling site were calculated to mid rib site, were shorn. The average weight determine the best sampling area. A of harvested fleece was 190 g. correlation matrix was constructed and those Prior to shearing, fibre samples were taken having the value close to 1 were considered from 30 vicuñas representing both sexes and the best sample area of vicuña fleece. three age classes. From each vicuña, fibre Additionally, forward stepwise regression samples were taken from 12 body sites (Table analyses for each fibre characteristic, 1) as follows: neck (N), forelimb (FL), considered as an independent variable, and hindlimb (HL), anterior saddle (at three the average fleece value considered as the levels from ventral to dorsal: AS1, AS2 and dependent variable corresponding to each AS3), central saddle (CS1, CS2 and CS3) and sampling site, were performed. Statistical back saddle (BS1, BS2 and BS3), as shown analyses were performed using R software (v. in Figure 1. 3.0.2). Fibre samples were kept in sealed paper Results envelopes, for fibre analysis, performed by Sources of variation of characteristics of means of the Optical Fibre Distribution vicuña fibre Analyzer (OFDA2000) at the Laboratory of The study estimated three variance Wools and Fibres of the UNH (Brims et al., components for each of the fibre 1999). Prior to analysis, the staple length was characteristics: a) the variation among measured using a millimetre ruler. The animals, corresponding to the variation average fibre diameter (AFD, µm), fibre among fleeces (VAF); b) variation within diameter coefficient of variation (CVD, %), animals, corresponding to the variation spinning fineness (SF, µm) and fibre among regions of the fleeces as represented curvature (FC, º/mm) were measurements by the different sampling sites (VAR/F); and with OFDA2000.