Kenaf
Varieties Now Available for Sale
KenafSeed.Com currently offers the following commercial kenaf seed varieties. We continue to work with university, government, and private researchers to increase new varieties. If there is a particular variety you would like to see increased, we will be happy to work with you to do so if you provide the starter seed.
Everglades 41 is a historical favorite for
commercial kenaf growers. It boasts
reasonable fiber production and a cotton-like leaf shape.
In the initial U.S. boon in kenaf production in the mid 1980’s, some
felt having this non-marijuana leaf shape to be important.
As kenaf production has become more commonplace worldwide, leaf shape is
rarely a factor.
Tainung 2 is by far the most popular commercial kenaf variety to date. It has demonstrated superior raw fiber production in trial plots and commercial production across many different latitudes and growing conditions. Tainung 2 does have a palmate leaf shape.
Dowling is another new variety developed by Charlie Cook, Andy Scott, and others in South Texas. Dowling boasts a non-palmate leaf shape and a non-tapering trunk shape. As the main stem of the plant tends to taper less (thicker towards the top than other varieties), it may prove to be a very high fiber producer.
A
Word on Daylength Sensitivity
All of the varieties above are daylength
sensitive. This means that when the
average daylength reaches a certain point in the late summer/early fall, they
will automatically go into the reproductive mode (i.e., they bloom, flower, and
try to produce seed). As such they
are ideally suited for planting above the tropics where average daylength
remains long throughout the summer and ensures good fiber production.
Obviously, the further north (or south of the equator in the southern
hemisphere) you are located the sooner the average daylength
shortens in the late summer. That,
along with later planting dates in the spring, is why fiber production falls off
the further north (or south in the southern hemisphere) you go. Kenaf has
been demonstrated to grow successfully as far north as Canada, however average
fiber yields are severely reduced at such extreme latitudes.
Conversely, the average daylength within the tropics is more uniform throughout the summer. As a result the varieties above may not do well below 15 degrees latitude as they may go into reproduction before optimal fiber production is reached. Daylength neutral kenaf varieties have been demonstrated for the tropics; but there has been little commercial demand for these varieties to date. Should you be interested in developing these daylength neutral varieties further, we will be happy to talk with you further about doing so.
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