Developing Next Generation Cotton Characteristics
August 15, 2018 No-iron cotton shirts, protection characteristics and enhanced comfort are some of the functional properties that are being engineered to make cotton a high-performance fiber.
As part of the Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform, scientists at Australian science agency CSIRO are exploiting genetic engineering techniques to bring functional characteristics to cotton. A team from CSIRO recently pitched those ideas at the AgCatalyst event in Australia.
In a video release, Dr. Madeline Mitchell, CSIRO scientist, stated that bioengineering techniques are being used to incorporate stretchy protein into the cell wall of cotton to make more it elastic so that “iron free” cotton can be possible. She noted that they hope to have proof of concept within a few years.
A few years ago, Cotton Incorporated started looking at what makes cotton breathable and comfortable at a molecular level. Preliminary findings from research conducted at Texas Tech University showed that long-chain sugar molecules play a role in the mass transport of water vapor through the fiber structure.
Dr. Kater Hake, vice president for Agriculture Research at Cotton Incorporated, who served as the project manager for the Texas Tech study, stated, “Cotton Incorporated’s long-term objective is to make cotton comfortable and functional using innovative approaches.”
While these projects have a long-term view, investing time and resources will lead to new opportunities for cotton in high performance applications. These new ideas show that the cotton industry, in addition to enhancing the yield and fiber quality, is looking beyond into functional attributes of cotton.
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