Fibre quality of a Bolivian meat-oriented llama population

Abstract

The effects of fleece-type, age and coat colour on main fibre traits and the relationship between these traits in a sub-population of llamas from the experimental farm ‘Condoriri’ of the Technical University of Oruro (Bolivia), primarily used as meat producers, were studied. Average diameter and diameter of fine fibres were 27.2μm and 22.3μm respectively and the incidence of fine and medullated fibres were 75.7% and 47.9% respectively. With increasing age of the animal the average diameter of fibres, of fine fibres and the incidence of the medullated fibres (p < 0,01) increased. The fleece type did not influence fibre quality to a great extent. The Th’ampulli type had lower means of diameter of fine fibres (p < 0,05) and a lower incidence of medullated fibres (p < 0,01). The average diameter and the incidence of the fine fibres did not differ significantly (p > 0,05) between the types. Differences owing to the coat colour were found on diameter of medullated fibres and the incidence of medullated fibres and kemps (p < 0,001). Coloured fleeces appeared to be more medullated and displayed lower means of diameter of medullated fibres than white fleeces. However, these findings are supposed to be caused by a methodological bias of OFDA-measurements on dark fibres. The average diameter was highly correlated with diameter and incidence of fine fibres (r = 0,90 and r = -0,93). The intensity of selection for meat, which seems to oppose an improvement of the fibre traits, might have negatively influenced the fibre quality. Further investigations are being carried out on non-meat-oriented llama populations. The present study provides a reference for these investigations on the fibre-oriented llama population. Furthermore, methodological aspects of fibre analysis and statistical evaluation of fibre traits are presented and compared to procedures described in the literature.