Milkweed fibre (Asclepia syriaca) is obtained from theseedpod of milkweed also known as mudar. The members of this family are foundin the tropical regions and in the drier parts of Central and South America. InIndia, it is found in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Thefamily is represented by several genera such as Asclepias, Calotropis,Ceropigia etc. Milkweed contains an abundance of milk sap in its leaves, stemand pods. Many parts of milkweed are used in medicinal applications. The flossobtained from the seed, is used for stuffing purpose.


Milkweed fibres are hollow, with a thin wall and aretherefore lightweight. The hollow structure of milkweed fibre has led to itsuse in items where good insulation or buoyancy properties are needed1.2.Like cotton, it is a single cell fibre, but unlike cotton, it is free fromconvolutions and has low cellulose content. Due to its very smooth surface,spinning of 100% milkweed fibre is difficult. However, it can be blended withother fibres and spun into a yarn.


Researchers have worked to explore use of this fibre forconventional textile applications. However no detailed work is carried out tostudy the properties of these fibres collected from different regions. Thepresent study is therefore aimed to study the physical and chemical propertiesof these fibres collected from different regions. The dyeing behavior of thesefibres were also studied.



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About the Author


Dr. M. S. Parmar holds PhD from MeerutUniversity, UP. He is currently working as Asst Director at The Northern IndiaTextile Research Association (NITRA). He has published over 35 articles in variousjournals and has guided students in 25 projects in PhD, MSc and B.Tech levels.