English abstract
Wool production and quality measurements were carried out on 100 Omani native female sheep (body weight 38.6 + 5.5 kg: age 993 + 488 d). Sheep were kept in partially shaded pens and fed ad libitum Rhodes grass hay (crude protein 8.83%) plus a daily amount of 200 g general ruminant concentrate (crude protein 16.5º% DM). Animals were shorn once a year and samples were taken from the lef mid-side site to determine fleece and fiber characteristics. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to study the fine appearance fibers. A skin sample was ed to study the histological arrangement and number of secondary and primary follicles. The greasy of the wo fleece weight (GFW) in Omani sheep ranged between 0.50- 2.65 kg (mean 1.12 ± 0.43 kg) and the GFW expressed as a percentage of BW ranged between 1.0-7.6 with a mean of 2.9 ± 1.16. Clean wool yield in Omani sheep fleece ranged between 57.1 and 88.4% with a mean of 76.4 + 7.6. Omani sheep fleece contained various staple shapes and had a mean staple length of 22.9 ± 1.16 cm. 4.3 ±0.8 crimps per staple; and a mean fiber diameter of 46 + 12 µm. Electron microscopy revealed three types of fibers; wrap-around, angled type and polygonal and elongated scales. This study indicated a wide variation in the wool characteristics of Omani native sheep fleece, which suggested that selection may be employed to improve wool production and quality in these sheep.
