Contact: Bob Ratliff
Kenaf is a tall-growing cousin of both cotton and okra used for centuries overseas to produce paper, ropes and other products.
In a recently published book, Mississippi State scientists provide a detailed look at its potential as the South's newest fiber crop.
"Kenaf Properties, Processing and Products" is co-edited by professors Terry Sellers Jr., and Nancy Reichert. Published by the university's Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, the 535-page text covers all aspects of a crop that is ancient in Africa and Asia, but introduced to the United States in the 1930s as a substitute for hemp and jute.
Textiles, pulp and paper, animal bedding, potting media, and oil absorption and related products used to clean the environment are among derivatives possible from kenaf's woody outer stalk and pulp-like core.
"Research at Mississippi State has shown that kenaf can be grown in high yields, delivered on a year-round basis and processed into a variety of environmentally friendly consumer products," said MAFES assistant director Marty Fuller.
The book's 40 chapters were written by researchers at MSU--Sellers and Reichert, among them--and other universities, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and at such diverse industries as the Temple-Inland Forest Products Corp. D.B.M. Farms Inc., and Mississippi Valley Gas Co.
Reichert, whose areas of specialization include horticulture, biochemistry and molecular biology, said no single text previously has provided a comprehensive study of kenaf's properties and commercial applications.
"Most people do not know the potential kenaf has as a cash crop," she said. "We're hoping it will eventually be adapted for growth across the South."