FIBER CROPS

WHAT ARE
FIBER CROPS?
Paper Cloth Rope
(nonwoven (textile fiber) (cordage fiber)
fabric)
ABACA (Musa textilis)

➢ aka Manila Hemp

➢ species of banana in family
Musaceae native in the
Philippines
➢ 13-20 feet and averages to 12
feet
 MORPHOLOGY
➢ ROOTSTOCK: produces up to about 25 fleshy, fibreless
stalks, forming a circular cluster called a mat or hill
➢ STALK: produces about 12 to 25 leaves with overlapping
leaf stalks, or petioles, sheathing the plant stalk to form
an herbaceous (nonwoody) false trunk
➢ LEAF: oblong, pointed leaf blade topping each petiole is
bright green on the upper surface and yellowish green
below
➢ oldest leaves are on the outside and the youngest on the
inside
➢ LARGE FLOWER: large spike emerges from its top
➢ SMALL FLOWER: cream to dark rose in colour,
occur in dense clusters
➢ FRUIT: inedible, banana-shaped fruits, about 8
cm long and 2–2.5 cm in diameter, have green
skins and white pulp
➢ SEED: fairly large and black
 CLASSIFICATIONS

Life Cycle: Perennial (grown as annual)

Reproduction: Sexual/Asexual (rhizomes)

Growth Habit: Herb (tree-like)

 PRODUCTION

● Leading hard fiber that can withstand prolonged

exposure to salt water
● World production: 128,000 metric tons (1951-1965)
to 76,000 (1972)
● Philippines (1972): 73,000 metric tons or 96% of
world total production
 USES

● Rope
● Furniture
● Hats and Bags
● Tea bags
● Sausage casings
JUTE (Corchorus capsularis)

➢ aka Golden Fibre

➢ once classified with the family
Tiliaceae, and more recently with
Malvaceae
➢ fiber used to make burlap, hessian
or gunny cloth
MORPHOLOGY
➢ HEIGHT: grows to an average of 10 to 12 feet (3 to 3.6
metres) in height
➢ STALK: cylindrical in shape and as thick as a finger
➢ LEAF: light green leaves that are 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15
cm) long, about 2 inches (5 cm) wide, alternated oblong
leaves that have serrated edges, and taper to a point.
➢ PODS: globular, round, ribbed and white in color.
➢ The plant bears small yellow flowers.
CLASSIFICATIONS

LIFE CYCLE: ANNUAL

GROWTH HABIT: HERB

PRODUCTION
➢ centered largely in Bangladesh, India, and the People’s
Republic of China
➢ India produces nearly 2 million tons of raw fiber every
year
➢ The largest importers of raw jute fibre are Japan,
Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and France.
USES
● Bags
● carpet backing
● bale wrapping
● Twine
● Ropes
 RAMIE (Boehmeria nivea)

➢ stingless member of the nettle family, Urticacea

➢ also known as rhea fiber
➢ crude ramie fiber (ribbons containing the fiber) has long
been known as China grass and thus a well known
product made from ramie is called grass linen
MORPHOLOGY
➢ Stem: slender; 8 to 16 mm at the base
➢ Height: 2 to 2½ meters in 45 to 60 days in ideal growing
conditions.
➢ Leaves: alternate, broadovate, coarsely toothed, with
long petioles.
➢ leaves are green on the top side with a felty-white
undersurface.
➢ Flowers: small, greenish white, in clusters, and highly
cross-pollinated.
➢ Seeds: dark brown, very small, ovate and produced in
very large numbers.
 CLASSIFICATIONS
Life cycle: Perennial

Reproduction: Asexual

Growth habit: shrub, producing numerous stems from the

base with large, round leaves
 PRODUCTION

➢ grown in ChinaBrazil, Indonesia, Philippines, Korea,

Vietnam, Japan, India and other South Asian countries.

➢ China is the major producer of ramie fibre contributing

to 96.3% of the global production.
USES
➢ Used for blending with cotton and silk for its unique strength and
absorbance.
➢ Apparels, towels, canvass, filter cloths
➢ Curtains, draperies, upholsteries