Washington Wheat Straw: Variations in Fiber Properties, 1998 Pulping Conference Proceedings

With the large quantity of wheat straw available in the western United States for industrial uses, the variation in this raw material is of interest. The influence of cultivar and environmental factors on the fiber properties of wheat straw were examined. Straw from six commercial cultivars was collected from three Washington State wheat fields over two years. The length weighted average fiber length, fines content, and coarseness of resulting straw pulps were comparable to ranges seen for hardwood pulps. The Madsen and Dusty commercial cultivars had longer average fiber lengths particularly when grown under irrigated conditions. The coarseness of the fibers was dependent on the growing conditions. Differences in coarseness of twenty percent were seen between the two dryland locations. These differences in fiber properties between growing locations and cultivar could lead to selective harvesting and genetic selection to obtain preferential fiber properties.