TEXTILE CHARACTERISTICS OF FIBER OF SURI ALPACAS FROM THE LIVESTOCK FAIR OF THE SOUTH OF PERU

Abstract

A livestock fair is held annually in the south of Peru. The fair is characterized by the exhibition of livestock from selected herds of camelids from the Peruvian Altiplano. The aim of this study was to characterize the fiber of Suri alpacas admitted to the livestock fair LVIII Feria Ganadera, Artesanal y Agroindustrial del Sur (FEGASUR) of 2019. Technological characteristics were evaluated. For this purpose, 178 samples of Suri alpaca fiber were used. The statistical design was a complete randomized design with a factorial arrangement of three factors (sex, fleece color and judging categories). Means were compared using Tukey-Kramer test. Suri alpaca fibers showed extraordinary characteristics in terms of technological quality. The mean fiber diameter had an overall mean of 22,14 ± 3,42 µm, with very close values due to the effect of sex, fleece color and age. The results for the other technological characteristics related to mean fiber diameter confirm the quality of the fiber, providing evidence of the genetic quality of Suri alpacas at the level of elite herds in the Puno region of Peru.