Woolwise News Edition 3
15 January, 2001

South Australian Merino Selection Demonstration Flocks Field Day

On Tuesday 27th March 2001, SARDI (South Australian Research and Development Institute) will host a South Australian Merino Field Day at the Turretfield Research Centre at Rosedale in South Australia.

According to Dr Raul Ponzoni, Principal Research Scientist (Livestock Genetics), Livestock Systems Alliance at SARDI, the program will start at 10.00am with a display of year 2000 progeny from two major Merino breeding projects, The SA Selection Demonstration Flocks (SA SDF), and the Fibre Meat Plus Meat Merino Line (FM+). 

Dr Ponzoni said the aim of the SA SDF project has been to demonstrate merits of alternative strategies for selecting merinos for improved wool production. 

“At this year’s field day, the 1999 born rams chosen by each demonstration flock for mating in January 2001 will be on display with selected fleeces and wool test results.” 

For the New Meat Merino Line project, Dr Ponzoni said the ewes would be inseminated in January and a small selection will be on display at this year’s field day along with the 2000 drop progeny, and information on the sires used. 

He said for this project, ewes and lambs from the Fibre Meat Plus (FM+) flock were run alongside the Selection Demonstration Flocks. 

“Breeders have had direct input into this flock with an initial seven breeders selecting a minimum of 20 outstanding Merino ewes, which they have contributed to the program. 

“Ewes are selected according to a breeding objective emphasising meat related traits including high reproductive rate, high growth rate and muscling, while also aiming for low fibre diameter.” 
Dr Ponzoni said some results from the Central Test Sire Evaluation trials (CTSE) will also be presented on the day. 

He said the CTSE has operated nationally for several years, comparing the genetic merit of leading AI sires by progeny evaluation. 

“A trial commenced on SARDI owned sites in 1998 with lambs born near Struan and then grown out and evaluated at two sites, either near Struan in the South East or near Turretfield in the Lower Mid North. 

“The evaluation of the 1999 born progeny is now complete, and the reports will be released on the day,” he said. 

The Field Day will also feature a range of presentations and displays on topics of interest to woolgrowers and ram breeders, including:

• Advances in reproductive technology that can revolutionise your breeding program
• Modern tools for genetic improvement (Merino benchmarking, Lambplan)
• Views on future directions for sheep and wool
• Latest results from the SDF and FM+ projects
• New initiative!!! A super fine Merino flock being jointly developed by PIRSA, The University of Adelaide and SARDI at Roseworthy

For more information:
Raul Ponzoni, SARDI, Telephone: 08 8303 7623 
To register your intention to attend:
Kaylene Jaensch Ph 08 8524 9017 or Veronica Ingham
Ph 08 8303 7602.


New Textile News On-line from CSIRO.

CSIRO have recently updated their Textile and Fibre Technology website and included an Online news service called Textile News. Dr Brett Bateup, Chief of the division, said, " Our aim is to enhance the flow of information about research and new technology to assist all sectors of the textile, clothing, footwear and leather industries." Topics follow the research business of CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology, and include wool, cotton, leather, product development etc. Textile News can be found at http://www.tft.csiro.au The following article is taken from the first issue, with kind permission of the author, Dr Tony Pierlot, and Mr Greg Hardiman, Marketing Manager. 


Total Easy Care Garments maintain a sharp crease and flat seams after laundering.

Technologies for producing garments from pure wool and wool/blend fabrics, that can be machine washed and tumbled dried without shrinking have been available to industry for many years. ‘Total Easy-Care’ describes garments that also retain their appearance with little ironing after repeated machine washing and tumble drying. This can only be achieved if the seams remain flat and without pucker, the fabric stays smooth and without wrinkles and any creases or pleats remain in place. The main impediment to achieving garments with Total Easy-Care performance, in particularly pure wool trousers, is that of maintain a sharp crease and flat seams after laundering. 

The development of ‘wrinkle free’ or easy-care processes for cotton garments based on garment baking techniques and the ready availability of baking ovens in the garment making industry provides an ideal opportunity for wool garment makers to adopt a similar approach. Using equipment available in the garment making industry technologies have recently been developed at CSIRO, outcomes of projects jointly funded with The Woolmark Company, that now enable industry to produce wool/polyester and pure wool total easy care garments. 

Wool/polyester trousers with outstanding entire garment shape retention properties can be made by a whole garment baking process. The temporary set or shape imparted to the wool component from a short steam press during garment making acts as a template to hold the shape of the garment while the polyester is heat set in the oven. 

An alternative technology has been developed for pure wool trousers that is presently undergoing commercial validation trials to refine and optimise the key processing parameters. This technology also relies on a garment baking operation and provides a similar level of total easy care performance to the wool/blend trousers. 

Having established the necessary technology for the production of total easy care, pure wool trousers, the next obvious step in the research program was to achieve a total easy care suit. Based on the technology developed for trousers, pure wool trial jackets have been produced that demonstrate excellent appearance retention despite many laundering cycles (wash and tumble dry). This technology is undergoing further research and development before commercial validation trials. 

Interest in total easy care garments is at an all time high and consumers will benefit from these technologies by being able to purchase wool containing garments that are comfortable, light-weight and easily maintained; the garments will retain their shape after machine washing and tumble drying so that little or no ironing is required before wearing. 

More Information: 
Dr Tony Pierlot, CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology 
03 5246 4000 


Global Textile Consultancy Takes Off.

CSIRO has launched a new international Textile Consultancy Service offering high level technical expertise and flexibility in the fast-changing and competitive global textile marketplace.
The CSIRO Textile Consultancy is set up to solve many immediate problems for industry. CSIRO’s long experience in technical process auditing and troubleshooting will help to identify and rectify many different problems associated with textile processing. 

CSIRO has successfully used auditing of fibre and fibre processing including scouring, topmaking, spinning, weaving, dyeing and finishing operations to reduce costs and improve product quality for many manufacturers. 

“Enhancing value for the customer is at the core of the Textile Consultancy. Each market is unique and we provide a service that meets the needs of varying customer groups”, explains CSIRO’s Marketing Manager, Mr. Greg Hardiman.

“No two customers are alike, each requires a unique approach and varying solutions to their own problems. Companies appreciate our breadth and depth of expertise while having the ability to solve many problems in one complete package is just one of the key benefits that we offer.”

The high level of technical understanding provided to industry has enabled CSIRO to develop a better service and target more market segments. Account Managers, backed by their colleagues, understand the textile marketplace and are constantly required to understand a range of complicated and ever changing processes and technologies. 

“The considerable expertise within CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology has normally been available to industry as part of research projects or on a more informal basis”, Dr Allan De Boos said. ”This program consolidates what we are offering the marketplace and makes it available to a wider range of industry participants.”

Many organisations are already aware of CSIRO’s broad skills base specialising in natural fibres (wool and cotton) and technical textiles. Companies are beginning to recognise the advantages of innovation coupled with this high-level expertise. These companies are able to harness these benefits and direct it to their competitive advantage while solving many technical and environmental problems. 

Improving the way many companies do things is the key to improved profits and sustained growth. Specifically, innovative textile consultancies will continue to be an important factor in economic growth and in reducing waste and environmental impacts.

To view this service and to gain a deeper understanding of CSIRO’s Textile Consultancy, we encourage you to view the related web site, www.tft.csiro.au 

More information:
Dr Allan DeBoos, CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology 
03 5246 4000 
Mr Greg Hardiman, CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology 03 5246 4000 

Got Weeds, Breed Sheep!

Rambouillet sheep prefer mountain sagebrush over many other types of rangeland plants, ARS researchers have found. And it's not just in their taste buds - it's in their genes.

"Other scientists have found genetic influences on diet preference in mice, goats, cattle, and people," says ARS geneticist Gary D. Snowder. "Now we've found that heredity also plays a role in the sheep's preference for sagebrush." Snowder works at ARS' U.S. Sheep Experiment Station in Dubois, Idaho. 

The genetic findings may eventually give producers another tool for better using rangeland forage. 

"If we can breed sheep to favor specific plants, we could help both the animals and the environment," Snowder says. For example, breeding animals so that they prefer an especially nutritious feed could enhance production. Or the sheep could be bred to prefer invasive weeds. They already eat some, like leafy spurge. 

Snowder and colleagues from the University of Idaho, Texas A&M University in San Angelo, and the ARS Meat Animal Research Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, analyzed the foraging preferences of sheep from September to October in 1996 and 1997. Their discovery of a sagebrush preference could benefit land managers. 

"Sagebrush is a common plant, covering at least 100 million acres of western rangeland. Although it is a native plant it is viewed in some areas as invasive and undesirable," he says. 

Snowder says it's likely that other dietary preferences of sheep also have a genetic component. If sheep can be used more extensively to control exotic weeds, they could help reduce the takeover of native habitat. The U.S. Department of the Interior estimates that invasive plants and weeds spread over federal lands at a rate of 4,600 acres per day. 
By Kathryn Barry Stelljes, ARS.

From the USDA Agricultural Research Service "Agricultural Research" Magazine, December 2000.
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/ dec00/weeds1200.htm