PROJECT LEADER:
Roy B. Dodd
FUNDING AGENCIES:
South Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Acusta Paper Company
DESCRIPTION
The majority of the worldwide production of fiber flax is the production of long line flax for wet spinning operation. This wet spinning using long line flax produces high quality linen cloth. There is currently no wet spinning capability in the United States. To produce this long line fiber is a very expensive operation and has seen a downward trend over the past decade. A newer trend has been to reduce the long line of fiber into short staple length that can be blended with other short staple fibers such as rayon and cotton. This process has become quite common in the United States textile industry. Cost of producing this short flax fiber has been a problem with demand. Although there are several desirable characteristics to the cloth, by costing more than rayon or cotton, the demand for flax fiber is limited.
Several states are currently experimenting with flax fiber production. USDA has formed a flax working group that includes both federal, state and private industry participants. South Carolina has been a very active member of this group. Last year flax was grown in two areas of South Carolina to investigate new production techniques using conventional farm equipment. The results are very encouraging. By using equipment that the grower already owns, the cost of flax production will be much lower than the current system which used expensive specialized equipment.
A close working relationship has developed between South Carolina and the USDA-ARS unit at the Richard Russell Laboratory in Athens, Georgia, on the development of the enzymatic setting process for flax fiber. This is a totally new process which is not in use anywhere in the world. Provided certain problems can be overcome, this process has the potential to produce a much cleaner fiber with more consistent color. Much of last year's crop has been reserved for use in the enzymatic experiments.
SIGNIFICANCE
Flax Production could become a significant crop in South Carolina and other states in the United States. By rotating flax, which is a broadleaf plant, with wheat, better weed control could be achieved. This would add to the overall profitability of small grain production.