SPIRAL STRUCTURE OF THE WINDING CELL WALL LAYER OF A COTTON FIBER

Abstract

The morphological features of so named “winding layer” in the secondary cell wall of normal and abnormal thin hairs for cotton varieties G. hisutum L., G. barbadense, G. herbaseum L. were studied. Last one is known as defective “thin filament”. The nature and features of normal and thin hairs swelled in cuproammonium solution (Schweitzer’s reagent) is described. The comparative analysis of “winding layer” of two kinds of cotton hairs is performed and it is shown that linear density helixes of winding layer along hair 3-5 times as much than for normal cotton hairs. It is shown that against of normal hairs in thin hairs the cellulose micro fibrils are oriented not under 8-30o (as usual take place for normal cotton hairs) along growth axis. Based on the features of coiled layer of thin cotton hairs the example of pathological defective thin filament is discussed.