Dependence of sulfur content and physical parameters of wool of ewe hoggets on their breed and breeding zones

Abstract

Goal. To study the total content of sulfur in the wool of different breeds, depending on the zones of their breeding, and to establish the relationship of the element with the thinness and tensile strength of the fibers. Methods. Total sulfur concentration was determined by a biochemical method, and thinness and strength were determined by physical methods. Mathematical and statistical methods were used to calculate digital data. Results. It was established that the wool of fine-wooled breeds was characterized by the highest level of sulfur (on average, it contained 2.96% of the macroelement). Its maximum amount was found in the wool of the Askanian fine-wooled breed, i.e., in animals with the thinnest fibers, and the minimum in Olibs. Coarse-wooled breeds of sheep had the lowest total sulfur content (2.63% on average). There was a direct relationship between the thinness of fibers and their tensile strength: the coarser the fibers, the stronger they were. The lowest fiber strength was characteristic of fine-woolled breeds of sheep, and the highest — for coarse-woolled ones. However, the content of sulfur in wool also depended on the cut of the wool: the higher the cut, the lower its content, as well as on the level of the element entering the animal’s body. Conclusions. The dependence of the content of total sulfur in the wool of ewe hoggets on the breed was established: the highest amount of this element was recorded in the wool of fine-wooled breeds, somewhat less — in semi-fine-wooled breeds, and the lowest — in the wool of coarse-wooled breeds. There is a positive correlation between the thinness of fibers and their tensile strength and a negative correlation between the total sulfur content in fibers and their strength. However, the content of sulfur in wool also depends on the area where sheep are bred, which is related to the different supply of this mineral element to the animal’s body and the level of their wool productivity.