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Kenaf Production |
| By Preston
Sullivan NCAT Agriculture Specialist ©2003 NCAT ATTRA Publication #CT162 |
The
printable PDF version of the entire document is available
at: http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/kenaf.pdf 4 pages — 312K Download Acrobat Reader |
AbstractKnaf is a warm-season annual fiber crop used in bedding, padding and paper pulp. This publication offers basic information about the plant, its prouduction and use. Enclosed materials and listed resources provide uses of kenaf.
Kenaf, Hibiscus cannabinus L., is a warm-season annual fiber crop related to cotton, okra, and hibiscus. The plants, which reach heights of 8 to 20 feet, are harvested for their stalks from which the fiber is extracted. A native of east central Africa, kenaf is adapted to most of the southern U.S. and parts of southwest California. Farmers are currently growing it on small acreages in several southern states and California. Seed production in the U.S. has been limited to frost-free areas of Texas, California, and Florida. Grower interest in kenaf arises primarily from its potential as a commercial fiber crop. Since the entire top growth is harvested, it returns little crop residue back to the soil. While kenaf certainly has merit as an alternative crop, there is nothing inherently "sustainable" about it. If it is grown like other row crops—as a monocrop, with tillage, herbicides, and commercial fertilizer—it will be just another soil-degrading crop. Kenaf is planted, after the danger of frost has passed, with modified row-crop planters or grain drills. It reaches maturity in about 150 days. Several herbicides are labeled for use in kenaf, and early-season cultivation is an option for weed control. Farming equipment adapted to kenaf harvest includes forage choppers and sugarcane harvesters. Industry derives two distinct fibers from kenaf stalks: long, jute-like bast fiber from the bark, and short, balsawood-like fiber from the stem core. End-use products depend on the fiber portion used. Bast fiber goes to make such products as burlap, carpet padding, and pulp. The short-fibered core is processed into poultry house bedding, packing material, oil-absorbent mats, and other items. (1) Another market for kenaf is in pulp for the American newsprint industry. Kenaf-based newsprint is strong (and thus well adapted to modern newsprint machinery), has good ink retention, and does not yellow with age as readily as wood-pulp-based newsprint. Of course kenaf fiber must compete directly with wood pulp prices, since both are used to produce newsprint. Kenaf can also be used for bean stakes, animal litter, a fiberglass substitute in molded plastic, a fiber source for improving recycled paper quality, a bulking agent for composting sewage sludge, a cellulose fiber for composition panels and boards, and a potting-mix ingredient. Kenaf also makes excellent animal forage. The crude protein levels in kenaf leaves range from 15 to 35 percent. Kenaf harvested as livestock feed should be cut 75 to 100 days after planting to gain optimum protein production per acre. (2, 3) Generally, after 80 days of growth, fibers build up in the stem, the leaf-to-stem ratio changes, and the protein level drops. Commercial markets for kenaf are expanding. Three processing plants are on-line for kenaf; these are located in Raymondville, Texas (4), Charleston, Mississippi (5), and Montezuma, Georgia. (6) Most of the acreage is contract-grown. Consequently, there is no open-market price for kenaf.
Seed availability is limited. Seed companies generally grow out specified acres of seed on contract. Some of the contractors provide seed for their growers. The International Kenaf Association can provide more information on seed sources and other aspects of kenaf production in the U.S.. (7) Seed is also available from KenafSeed.com. The enclosed materials (please call our toll-free number to receive a copy at 1-800-346-9140) provide information on the production, harvesting, processing, and uses of kenaf. The enclosed experiment station bulletin from Mississippi, entitled A Summary of Kenaf and Product Development Research 1989-1993, is useful and comprehensive. It covers agronomic practices, pest problems, in-field separation of kenaf, economics of processing kenaf, several uses of kenaf, and blending kenaf with cotton to make cloth. The annual proceedings of the International Kenaf Association provide information on production, processing, and products. (7) The association's president, Bob Bledsoe, can also refer callers to several state kenaf associations located in the growing region. The American Kenaf Society (8) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a mechanism for communication on kenaf research, production, processing, product development, and marketing, and to facilitating the industry's development. The Society also distributes educational and scientific information on kenaf to all interested parties. They began holding a nationwide annual meeting in 1998. Their Web site contains information on growing kenaf, announcements of upcoming society meetings, and a list of suppliers of kenaf products, membership information, and links to other Web sites that contain kenaf information. They have proceedings from past meetings available as well. References
EnclosuresForest Friendly Paper Campaign. No date. Kenaf: an ecological alternative to virgin wood-based paper. Kenaf Fact Sheet. 2 p. www.psouth.net/kenaf.php Goforth, Catherine, and Marty J. Fuller. 1994. A Summary of Kenaf Production and Product Development Research 1989-1993. Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Bulletin 1011. Mississippi State University. 33 p. Korbel, Ann. 1990. Kenaf: A fiber crop with forage potential. Hay & Forage Grower. February. p. 30-31. ReThink Paper. No date. Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus): An Ecological Alternative to Virgin Wood-Based Paper. 3 p. www.wildrockies.org/cmcr/pulp/kenaf.html Silva, Beth. 1997/98. Kenaf: A clear and present opportunity. Ag Ventures. Dec.-Jan. p. 56-59, 63-64. Woolf, Lynn M. 1993. Alternative crops, kenaf. Farm Futures. Mid-March. p. 24. Kenaf Production
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