Study of the Technological Fibre Performance of the Y331 BLT, Gouassou Fus1 and Sicama Vir1 Cotton Varieties Popularised in Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

Cotton cultivation plays a major socio-economic role in the north and centre of Côte d’Ivoire, where it is the driving force behind the agricultural development of rural populations and contributes to the fight against poverty. In recent years, the crop has faced huge problems, including falling production and a deterioration in fibre quality. To remedy this, research has proposed cotton varieties of the species Gossypium hirsutum , which were popularised during the 2016-2020 period. This study was carried out to assess the fibre technological performance of these varieties in the growing areas. Its objective was to assess the technological characteristics of the fibre of varieties Y331 BLT, Gouassou Fus1 and Sicama Vir1 in the agro-ecological zones of cotton growing in Côte d’Ivoire. To do this, the varieties were grown at the observation posts in Séguéla, Korhogo and Nambingué, three localities that represent the southern, central and northern cotton-growing areas in Côte d’Ivoire, respectively. The seed cotton harvested on the experimental plots was ginned using a 10-saw gin. The fibres obtained were analysed on an HVI 1000/1000 integrated measurement chain. The results show that the technological characteristics of the fibre are likely to vary according to the variety grown or the locality of production. Fibre yields vary from 41.97% to 43.98% depending on the variety. However, the varieties compared in the different cotton-growing areas behave in much the same way in terms of the fibre’s technological characteristics. Each variety can therefore be grown in these zones and produce fibre of good technological quality, provided that the recommended agronomic and post-harvest practices are followed. The greatest variations are due to the influence of agro-ecological conditions on fibre characteristics, which are highly dependent on the locality where the cotton is grown. The micronaire index (4.24), length (29.43 mm) and tenacity (32.66 g/tex) are higher and better in Séguéla area, while the yellowness index is lower (8.32) and better in Nambingué zone. There could therefore be terroir cotton whose fibre could be marketed differently because of a particular good technological parameter. For example, fibres from the south of the cotton-growing zone could be more prized than those from other localities because of their better silk length, good tenacity and low yellowness index.