webber keynote kenaf

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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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