Optimizing the Use of the AFIS for Breeders: Effect of Sample Preparation

In 2006, we worked on the effect of sample preparation on AFIS fiber length distribution. Blending fibers resulted in almost all cases in a considerable improvement of the repeatability of the measurements allowing a drastic reduction in the number of replications to be performed for a given confidence interval. This led to the development of a fiber blender prototype in 2007. We will present some results comparing the AFIS results obtained with and without blending on breeding material.