Relevance of AFIS HVI and Micromat to WHITE Specks

White speck neps cause significant financial losses to the textile industry.  The mills need a high speed method to predict this defect so that the fibers with high white speck potential can be put into the proper product line, such as white sheeting, toweling, etc., thereby maximizing the fiber's potential and minimizing white specks in dyed fabrics.  Initial studies indicate that different prediction equations will be needed for each level of lint cleaning.  The cottons for the US Cotton Variety Textile Processing Trials were grown in Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas during the 2001 season.  The Georgia cottons were grown in the same field, spindle picked and ginned with one lint cleaner. The Texas cottons were grown in one field, stripper picked and ginned using two lint cleaners.  The Mississippi cottons were grown in the same area and obtained commercially without ginning information.  HVI, AFIS, and Micromat F/MT were used to measure fiber properties from the bale.  These data are analyzed and related to white specks from these three studies.  Ultimately we would like to develop strong predictions of white specks from high-speed instruments that test bale fibers, and include the white speck potential in the classification of cottons.