Cashmere goat
A cashmere goat is a type of goat that produces cashmere wool, the goat's fine, soft, downy, winter undercoat, in commercial quality and quantity.[1] This undercoat grows as the days get shorter and is associated with an outer coat of coarse hair, which is present all the year and is called guard hair. Most common goat breeds, including dairy goats, grow this two-coated fleece.
The down is produced by secondary follicles, the guard hair by the primary follicles.[1]
In 1994, China had an estimated population of 123 million goats and is the largest producer of cashmere down. Local breeds are dominant. In the past decades, breeding programs have been started to develop productive breeds.
The goats take their name from their origin in the Himalayan region of Kashmir region with the word "cashmere" deriving from an anglicisation of Kashmir.
Cashmere-producing breeds
Australian cashmere goat
The foundation stock for the
Changthangi (Kashmir Pashmina) cashmere goat
The
Hexi
The
Inner Mongolia cashmere goat
The Inner Mongolia cashmere goat is a local dual-purpose breed with a long history. It adapts well to desert and semidesert pastures. The goats can be divided into five strains, Alasan (Alashanzuoqi), Arbus, Erlangshan, Hanshan and Wuzhumuqin. The first three strains produce quality cashmere; the last two have been developed for high production. The average down yield is about 240 grams, with an average down diameter between 14.3 and 15.8 μm. The cashmere length is between 41 and 47 mm. In 1994, the total Inner Mongolian goat population was approximately 2.3 million goats.[2]
Liaoning cashmere goat
Breeding animals were selected in the 1960s from six counties in the eastern mountain area of
Licheng Daqing goat
The Licheng Daqing goat is a dual-purpose breed from the Shanxi Province, China. The down is usually brown, but the color can vary.[7] The average doe down yield is 115 g at 14 μm diameter.[2]
Luliang black goat
This dual-purpose goat is found in the Lüliang area; it produces a small quantity of dark down.[2]
Tibetan Plateau goat
In 1994, there were more than 7 million Tibetan Plateau and Valley goats in
Wuzhumuqin
This Inner Mongolian strain is a new breed, recognized in 1994, and is distributed mainly in Xilingele Meng. The development of the breed started in 1980. By 1994, the breed had 372 nucleus herds and 681 selection herds. The bucks have thick, long horns and 85% of the does are horned. Ninety eight percent of the herd is white. The developers of the breed claim the lustre of the fleece is better than the Liaoning goat. The average production of a Wuzhumuqin adult does in 1994 was 285 g at 15.6 μm diameter; the average down length was 46 mm.[2]
Zalaa Jinst White goat
The Zalaa Jinst White goat is the only entirely white breed of cashmere goat in Mongolia recognized by the Mongolian Wool & Cashmere Association,[8] found in the southwest region of the Gobi Desert, where it has adapted well to Gobi desert nomadic herding. The average cashmere production for males is 380 grams; adult female is 290 grams with fibers averaging 16.0-16.5 microns in diameter[9]
Zhongwei cashmere goats
The Zhongwei goat originated in the semidesert and desert area around Zhongwei in Ningxia and Gansu Provinces in China, and are famous for their kid fur and cashmere production. The average fiber production for does is 216 g at 15 μm diameter.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Australian Goat Notes". Australian Cashmere Growers Association. Archived from the original on 2018-07-21. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k VI International Conference On Goats 6-11 May 1996 Beijing, China. International Academic Publishers. 1994.
- .
- ^ "ACGA Australian Cashmere Breed and Fleece Standard". Australian Cashmere Growers Association. Archived from the original on 2018-08-15. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ^ "Cashmere Group Sire Reference Scheme". University of Western Australia. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ^ "Kashmir Pashmina Technical Data". Government of Jammu & Kashmir, Animal Husbandary Department. Archived from the original on 4 January 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ^ "Untitled Prezi". prezi.com.
- ^ Goat cashmere | Mongolian Wool & Cashmere Association
- ^ Zalaa Jinst white strain