An evaluation of kenaf, roselle, and relatedHibiscus for fiber production

Abstract

Thirteen species ofHibiscus, grown in southern Florida in 1964, varied significantly in fiber yield, yield components, and fiber quality characteristics. Correlation analyses first included, then excluded, improved varieties of the fiber plant species, kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) and roselle (H. sabdariffa L.). Certain pairs of traits were positively correlated ; others were negatively correlated, whether or not the fiber varieties were included. Other pairs of traits were positively correlated when the fiber varieties were included, but not when they were exluded; these differences suggested significant effects of artificial selection for increased fiber content and more rapid growth. Conversely, still other pairs of traits were positively correlated when the fiber varieties were excluded, but not when they were included. Examination of means showed that this discrepancy could not be attributed to the effects of conscious selection. Strains with a shrubby growth habit had larger stalks and higher fiber percentages, and yielded more fiber than those with a viny growth habit. However, fiber content and quality, and stalk size on the one hand, and ploidy, genome constitution or geographic distribution on the other, showed no evident correlations. The possibility was discussed of transferring the moderate nematode-resistance of a wild strain to a cultivated strain of H. cannabinus, without sacrificing fiber content.