Yarn Seed Coat Fragments Identification

Cotton seed coat fragments (SCF) are a major source of defects in ring spun yarns. Their presence in the lint translates into discounts for the producers. SCF can travel through the cleaning processes at both the gin and the spinning mill resulting in yarn imperfections and weak spots. This causes significant issues in the textile industries by lowering productivity and market value of the yarns and fabrics. Therefore, early identification in breeding programs of germplasm prone to produce SCF could help minimize this issue. This study is aimed at testing and validating the performance of the Trashcam, a software package designed to identify SCF in card webs and yarns. This study concentrates on ring spun yarns. Images of yarn boards from 36 different varieties were analyzed with Trashcam. Trashcam counts were validated visually by several human observers.  A future study will concentrate on the relationship between Trashcam counts on yarns and card webs. If a good relationship is found, Trashcam could be implemented in breeding programs.