Wool Yield and Quality Characteristics of Akkaraman Breed Sheep

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the wool quality characteristics of sheep according to different age, sex, and live weight groups. The average wool quality parameters obtained in the Akkaraman sheep examined in the study were found to be as follows: wool yield 3.17 kg, ringlet length 10.00 cm, fibre length 15.48 cm, efficiency 57.33%, fineness 27.20 microns, elasticity 24.87%, and strength 19.95 Cn/Tex. Statistical analysis showed that wool yield, ringlet length, and fibre length were highly significantly affected by the sex factor (p < 0.001; p < 0.01). Live weight had a significant effect only on wool yield (p < 0.001), while it had no statistically significant effect on the other quality parameters. Age was found to have a significant effect on ringlet length and fibre length (p < 0.001). The correlation coefficient between fibre length and ringlet length was r = 0.819, and this relationship was found to be highly statistically significant (p < 0.01). This result indicates that fibre length increases in parallel with the increase in ringlet length, and therefore, ringlet length can be used as an effective and practical indicator of fibre length. This finding offers a significant advantage in terms of rapid and cost-effective assessment of wool quality. Wool is a valuable animal product with diverse industrial uses. Therefore, the factors affecting wool quality should be examined in detail through more comprehensive studies encompassing different environmental conditions.