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Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat
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Assam Agricultural University is the first institution of its kind in the whole of North-Eastern Region of India. The main goal of this institution is to produce globally competitive human resources in farm sectorand to carry out research in both conventional and frontier areas for production optimization as well as to disseminate the generated technologies as public good for benefitting the food growers/produces and traders involved in the sector while emphasizing on sustainability, equity and overall food security at household level.
Genesis of AAU -
The embryo of the agricultural research in the state of Assam was formed as early as 1897 with the establishment of the Upper Shillong Experimental Farm (now in Meghalaya) just after about a decade of creation of the agricultural department in 1882. However, the seeds of agricultural research in today’s Assam were sown in the dawn of the twentieth century with the establishment of two Rice Experimental Stations, one at Karimganj in Barak valley in 1913 and the other at Titabor in Brahmaputra valley in 1923. Subsequent to these research stations, a number of research stations were established to conduct research on important crops, more specifically, jute, pulses, oilseeds etc. The Assam Agricultural University was established on April 1, 1969 under The Assam Agricultural University Act, 1968’ with the mandate of imparting farm education, conduct research in agriculture and allied sciences and to effectively disseminate technologies so generated. Before establishment of the University, there were altogether 17 research schemes/projects in the state under the Department of Agriculture. By July 1973, all the research projects and 10 experimental farms were transferred by the Government of Assam to the AAU which already inherited the College of Agriculture and its farm at Barbheta, Jorhat and College of Veterinary Sciences at Khanapara, Guwahati.
Subsequently, College of Community Science at Jorhat (1969), College of Fisheries at Raha (1988), Biswanath College of Agriculture at Biswanath Chariali (1988) and Lakhimpur College of Veterinary Science at Joyhing, North Lakhimpur (1988) were established. Presently, the University has three more colleges under its jurisdiction, viz., Sarat Chandra Singha College of Agriculture, Chapar, College of Horticulture, Nalbari & College of Sericulture, Titabar. Similarly, few more regional research stations at Shillongani, Diphu, Gossaigaon, Lakhimpur; and commodity research stations at Kahikuchi, Buralikson, Tinsukia, Kharua, Burnihat and Mandira were added to generate location and crop specific agricultural production packages.
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ThesisItem Open Access ENZYMATIC EXTRACTION AND PROCESSING OF NON-CONVENTIONAL FIBER FROM BETEL NUT (ARECA CATECHU)(AAU, Jorhat, 2021) Bora, Debangana Priya; Kalita, Binita B.The search for efficient and green oxidation technologies has increased to replace the conventional non-biological methods. In the present investigation an efforts have been made to treat the areca husk fiber with cellulose enzyme as a suitable and eco-friendly alternative to chemical processing for achieving desired softness in areca husk fiber. Enzymes treatment removed the protruding hairs on the surface, enhances the water absorbency and also makes the fiber more soften. Among the different existing enzymes, cellulase have been using intensively in textile industry due to their advantageous property. Cellulase enzymes have become an efficient tool for finishing. Moreover, this enzyme can be used to modify the surface properties of the fiber. Utilization of agro waste material is an important means to conserve the environment from dumping large quantity in to bare lands and it also helps in new innovative product development from low cost materials. In the present study, well matured areca nut husk were collected in large quantities and the fiber was extracted by water retting method. Extracted fibers were treated with two cellulase enzymes (acid cellulase and cellulase).The physical, chemical and mechanical properties of treated and untreated areca nut husk fiber were studied. The fiber shows good cellulase and hemicelluloses content and little amount of ash and wax content. The surface morphology is examined with the help of SEM at various magnifications. Fiber is found to be shorter in length and has good strength properties. Moisture and density of the fiber is also analyzed. After that both the enzyme treated and raw areca nut husk fiber processed for composite board preparation. The prepared composite boards were tested for various performance properties. It was found that after the enzyme treatment, physical properties such as moisture regain, fiber diameter, water absorbency, wicking height etc and mechanical properties viz., elongation, density and surface characteristics were improved as compared to untreated fiber. Moreover, enzyme treated fiber reinforced composite board also provide higher physical and mechanical property as compared to untreated fiber reinforced composite board. This can be concluded from the study that the prepared composite board made of areca husk fibers is suitable for interior use as well as furnishing products and sports equipment.ThesisItem Open Access AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON PROFILE OF HANDLOOMS OF JORHAT DISTRICT OF ASSAM(AAU, Jorhat, 2021) Saikia, Milan; Kaur, SatvinderThe present investigation entitled “An empirical study on profile of Handlooms of Jorhat district of Assam” was conducted during the year 2019-2021 to study about Handlooms types, parts, accessories and their functions, technological changes in the Handlooms with following objectives: 1. To study the different types of Handlooms available in Jorhat District of Assam. 2. To explore the parts, accessories of handlooms and their functions. 3. To examine the recent technological changes occurred in the loom. Handloom weaving of Assam had a long tradition in the socio-economic life of the people in supplementing the family income to a great extent. It also gave self-employment opportunity to the rural people. It had significant role in the state economy next to the agriculture. The current research took place in Jorhat district of Assam. Jorhat has two sub-divisions i.e., Jorhat and Titabor, and both were selected for the study. Six development blocks from the two sub-divisions were selected for the present study. Two villages from each block and ten weavers from each of village were selected in order to collect primary information for the purpose of the study. An interview schedule was prepared consisting of five distinct parts i.e., the personal information of the respondent, the information of handlooms, parts and their function, accessories and their function of handloom and technological changes in handloom. Data was collected from the respondents with the help of this interview schedule through personal interview. Result showed that, highest percentage of the weavers were in the age group 35-44 years and no male member from all the twelve villages was found to be engaged in weaving activities. Majority of the respondents used throw shuttle pit loom followed by fly shuttle frame loom and 66.66% of the respondents used drawboy attachment and 5.00% of respondent used Jacquard attachment, but 28.33% respondents did not use any attachments. Frame material of loom for most of the respondent’s was bamboo. Hundred per cent of the respondents had the experience of working on the handloom and most of them had experienced from their teenage age. Most of the respondents did not improve their handloom but only a few improved their handloom. They, however, alter attachments, parts and accessories of Handloom when necessary.ThesisItem Open Access A Study on the Costumes of Meghalaya with special preferences to Jaintia tribes(AAU, Jorhat, 2021) Sumer, Hosanna; Phukan, Ava RaniA Study on traditional costume of Meghalaya with special preference to the Jaintia Tribewas conducted for the present study. The current research took place in Jaintia Hills District of Meghalaya. There are two sub-division in jaintia hills district; west and east of jaintia. Both of this division where chosen purposely for the researches work. A random sampling as well as the multistage method had been adopted to conduct this study. For this study three main villages were selected from both the east and the west district. From the west district Jowai, Nartiang, and Mihmyntdu were selected and from the east Khliehriat, wapung, and Ladrymbai village were selected. From the selected villages of the west district 30 samples were selected from Jowai, 10 samples from Nartiang, and 10 samples from Mihmyntdu, and from the east district 30 samples were selected from Khliehriat,10 samples from Wapung and 10 samples from Ladrymbai, and the total of 100 samples ware selected. Selected respondents were asked to answer the questions given in the questionnaire. In this case three generation were selected for the study i.e. from the grand parent, parent, and children of both male and female. To get a clear interpretation of the picture of the costumes worn by both male and female of the three generation i.e., the grand parent, parent, and children. It was divided into six categories on the basis of their sex which is given below; 1. Grand parent Group I - (a) Grand father (b) Grand mother 2. Parent Group II – (a) Father (b) Mother 3. Children Group III- (a) Son (b) Daughter The traditional dresses of the Jaintia males are yuslien, ka kamasa, putoi, sulapoh, yuspong, thad tawah ryndia tlem, and dresses used by the females are yusem thoh khyrwang, sari, ki yusem dhara, ki yusem nara, ki yusem muka, blouse, ki yusem thoh saru, ki yusem ryndia, thad kup Merina. The changes in these traditional costumes of both male and female from one generation to another has been notice in this study. Through this study we have seen the people’s way of life and adaptation and the documentation of the costume used by them, their weaving and its speciality will be of a great help to the future generations to learn more about the Jaintia tribes of Meghalaya and their existences, and also for the purpose of preserving their culture and traditional costumes.ThesisItem Open Access REMOVAL OF RESIDUAL TEXTILE DYE EFFLUENT USING ACTIVATED CARBON PREPARED FROM AGRICULTURAL RESIDUES(AAU, Jorhat, 2021) Roy, Reena; Phukan, Ava RaniTextile dyeing industries are one of the most polluted industries which createlots of problems for environmental pollution. The textile dyeing industry produces in large amount of production and release of waste water effluent. In the present study, activated carbons were prepared from almond, coconut, mustard, rice bran and sesame oil cakes. The powdered oil cakes were treated with 5% NaCl for 12 hours in the rotary shaker followed by chemical activation with 1 N H3PO4, 2.5 N H2SO4 and 2.5 N H3PO4 for 24 hours. The pyrolysis was performed at 300˚C for 2 hours. The ball milling technique was applied to reduce the particle size of the activated carbon. The integrated activated carbons were used for the color removal for acid and metal complex dye effluent from the wool dyeing unit. For dye effluent treatment different concentrations of adsorbent viz.,0.1%, 0.25%, 0.5% and 1.0% and time period 30, 60 and 90 minutes were taken respectively. The results showed that very small quantities (1.0 and 2.0%) of activated carbons were sufficient to remove around 92% color from the dye effluent. The particle size of the activated carbon was further reduced by ball milling in Pulverisette 6 for 1 hour.The characterization of activated carbon was synthesized such as FTIR, SEM, EDX, XRD, BET, bulk density, porosity, ash content, moisture content, pH, zero point charge (pzc), iodine number, methylene blue, particle size analysis, COD and BOD respectively. The activated carbon characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the small pore size with higher surface area that indicates lower absorbency. FTIR analysis also revealed the presence of various types of functional groups during different activation temperatures. From EDX analysis, a negligible quantity of Na, K and S in 2.5 N H3PO4 almond activated carbons and in 2.5 N H2SO4 almond activated carbons there was a negligible quantity of Mg, Si, P and C and other elements were present.The X-ray diffraction pattern of the 2.5 N H2SO4 and2.5 N H3PO4 almondwere recorded at peak 25˚ and 29˚ respectively, and indicated the presence of amorphous structure of the activated carbon with the diffraction pattern of (002).In BET analysis; the surface area, pore radius and pore volume of 2.5 N H3PO4 was recorded as 16.14m2/g, 0.85nm and 0.029cc/g and in 2.5 N H2SO4 almond, it was 7 recorded 64.28m2/g, 0.72nm and 0.040cc/g respectively. Bulk density 4.533g/cm3, porosity 4.500%, ash content 0.176%, moisture contents 0.040%, methylene blue 123.667mg/g, pH 6.180, zero point charge 4.140pzc, particle size 310.333nm, iodine number 22.067m2/g of 2.5 N H3PO4 almond (ball milling) activated carbon were recorded best compared to 1 N H3PO4 coconut (ball milling) and 2.5 N H3PO4 mustard (ball milling) activated carbon. The bulk density 5.233g/cm, porosity 3.633%, ash content 0.172%, moisture contents 0.071%, methylene blue 116.000mg/g, pH 6.973, zero point charge 6.460pzc, particle size 825.000nm, and iodine number 21.5333m2/g were also recorded best in 2.5 N H2SO4 almond (ball milling) activated carbon metal complex dye effluent compared to 2.5 N H3PO4 rice bran (ball milling) and 2.5 N H2SO4 sesame (ball milling) activated carbon. The good absorbency was recorded 0.107 at 2.0% concentration and 90 minutesof contact time in 2.5 N H3PO4 almond (ball milling) activated carbon acid dye effluent compared to 1 N H3PO4 coconut (ball milling) and 2.5 N H3PO4 mustard (ball milling) activated carbon. The pH and TDS of the effluent were recorded 4.523 and 2668.66mg/L, concentration 2.0% in 60 minutes, which were found to be best among the 1 N H3PO4 coconut (ball milling) and 2.5 N H3PO4 mustard (ball milling) activated carbon in acid dye effluent. The good absorbency was recorded 0.153 concentration 1.0% and 90 minutes of contact time in 2.5 N H2SO4 almond (ball milling) activated carbon metal complex dye effluent compared to 2.5 N H3PO4 rice bran (ball milling) and 2.5 N H2SO4sesame (ball milling) activated carbon. The pH and TDS of the effluent were recorded best in5.233 and 2219.33mg/L, concentration 1.0% at 90 and 30 minutes respectively in 2.5 N H2SO4 almond (ball milling) activated carbon metal complex dye effluent. Therefore, 2.5 N H3PO4 almond (ball milling) activated carbon acid dye and 2.5 N H2SO4 almond (ball milling) activated carbon metal complex dye effluent proved to be an excellent oil cake for preparation of activated carbon in the textile dye industry and can be used as an alternative source for wastewater treatment. Keywords: Activated carbon, oil cake, wastewater effluent, FTIR, SEM, XRD, TDSThesisItem Open Access DESIGNING READY TO ATTACH YOKES FOR KURTIS USING KANTHA EMBROIDERY(AAU, Jorhat, 2017-01) Borah, Pompy Jilly; Kaur, SatvinderYokes are horizontal divisions within a garment which may be functional or decorative. They are usually small, flat panels of fabric at the shoulder, waist, or midriff. Embroidered decorative yokes look attractive and are very much popular. The present study deals with designing ready to attach yokes for kurtis using kantha embroidery stitches. Kantha is the traditional form of embroidery of West Bengal. Running style stitch is used to create various patterns and details for this embroidery. Kantha is an indigenous household craft popular among the rural women in West Bengal. The traditional form of this embroidery is done on soft dhotis and saris. For the present study materials were collected from Jorhat town. The selected material for yoke was one coloured plain weave fine casement fabric. Cotton lining fabric of the same colour was also selected. Black poplin material was selected for the bindings. Printed cotton fabric was selected for the kurtis. The investigator designed and embroidered 7 yokes using kantha embroidery. The yokes were finished with bias binding so that they were ready to be attached on kurtis. Seven constructed kurtis were displayed and views of college girls were taken with the help of an interview schedule. From the data collected it has been found that Design No. 4 was ranked 1st for style of the yoke and Design No. 2 was ranked 1st for the embroidery design and also for colour combination of embroidery design. However, when the overall final rank was calculated, Design No. 2 and 3 were ranked 1st, Design No. 4 was ranked 2nd, Design No. 1 was ranked 3rd, Design No. 5 and 7 were ranked 4th and Design No. 6 was ranked 5th.ThesisItem Open Access NANO FINISHES ON ERI SILK AND ITS UNION FABRICS(2019-07) Borah, Mamoni Probha; Kalita, Binita BaishyaNano science and nanotechnology are considered to be the key technology for the recent era. The “nano” in nano technology refers to the material or chemical with a particle size of one billionth of meter. In textiles & apparel product nanotechnology can be used to provide performance characteristic like water repellant, fire retardant, UVresistance, stain resistance etc.Nano finishing of fabrics with different nano particles made the fibers to achieved desirable hand, surface texture, color and other special aesthetic and functional properties.Water-repellent means not easily penetrated by water. Water repellent is a state characterized by the non-spreading of water globules on a textile material. Fabric flammability is an important textile issue. The goal of flame retardancy is to inhibit or suppress the combustion process acting chemically or physically in the solid, liquid or gas phases. Eri silk fiber, yarn and fabric are the most unexplored, underutilized sector in textile industry and tremendous scope for application of nano finishes with different functional and aesthetic end uses. Australian merino wool produces a yarn of good quality. Preparation of union fabric from wool with eri silk had reduced maintenance cost and more productivity in the subsequent processes, cost effective too.Union fabrics used for better serviceability of fabrics but are also used for improved appearance and hand. Surface modification through nanotechnology was used to impart unique properties to fibers and fabrics. Nano-finishing has been done on different fibers like cotton, polyester, and other blended fibers for different functional end uses. However, no research on the properties of apparel and ability for eri silk fabrics and its union fabrics after being treated with flame retardant and water repellency has been reported in the literature Therefore, an attempt was made and studied on “Nano Finishes of Eri Silk and Its Union Fabric” with the following objectives-Selection of suitable chemicals for fire retardant and water repellent finishes; Optimization of finishing methods for fire retardant and water repellent finishes and assessment of physico- chemical and functional properties of finished fabrics.For water repellant and fire retardant nano finishing the plain weave eri silk and union fabric woven from eri silk and wool yarn were selected. The nano silica particle from rice husk, titanium dioxide was selected for water repellant nano finish. For fire retardant nano finishing the nano clay and ammonium sulphamate were selected purposively. The nano particle from selected sources was applied in eri silk and union fabrics for water repellant and fire retardancy with and without polymer. For that, the optimization of application process was carried out where, different pH, concentrations of nano particles, material to liquor ration and application methods were optimized on the basis of drop test and 45° Inclined flammability test . The optimized condition for nano finishing on selected fabrics were done and evaluated for its physico-chemical and mechanical properties by using standard methods. The properties like fabric count, thickness, crease recovery bending length, tensile strength, elongation, stress, drapability, air permeability, wicking heights etc were accessed. The analytical properties like drop test, spray test, optical contact angle, were done for water repellency test and 45° inclined, Flammability test & limiting oxygen index was done for fire retardancy test. Apart from that particle size analysis, SEM, EDS etc was also carried out. The particles size analyzer confirmed that the chemical and natural sources that used for imparting nano finish in eri silk and union fabrics are nano in size which is less than 10000nm. From the study it was found that by using the optimized conditions for nano finishing of eri silk and its union fabric for functional finish with nano silica, titanium dioxide, nano clay and ammonium sulphamate with and without polymer the water repellency and fire retardancy properties have been successfully achieved. From SEM, it was found that the nanoparticles are penetrate uniformly inside in the fibers matrix and form a thin film on the surface of the fabrics leading to water repellency and fire retardancy of the treated fabrics and the EDS also confirmed the presence of nano particles elements are present in the treated fabric. For water repellency, the different standard tests are performed. Under drop test, it was observed that fabrics treated nano silica and titanium dioxide along with silicon polymer are more water repellant than without polymer. This was affirmed by optical contact angle showing above 150° means providing super hydrophobic fabric at higher percentage of nano particles, however it was also found that all the selected concentration showed hydrophobicity with water contact angle above 100° of contact angle. But after dry cleaning & washing the water repellency decreased to some extent but still at higher concentration, the water repellency was retained with contact angle above 100 degree. It was interesting to note that after abrasion the water repellency enhanced though some amount of distortion in fabric surface was observed. The enhancing in the water repellency may be attributed due to deposition of nano particles in the fabric surface forming a layer and inhibiting the water to penetrate. Other factors like weave structure, yarn twist and density also affecting the water repellency properties. The fire retardancy property of eri silk and union fabrics treated with optimized conditions for nano finishing with nano clay and ammonium sulphamate was carried out and the treated fabrics are evaluated for fire retardancy properties through 45° inclined flammability test & limiting oxygen index test. The char length and flame speed of treated samples were recorded and found that the control fabric burn entire length and the nano finished fabric took more flame speed to burn and the char length was found to be very less when expose to flame and also lesser than the fire retardant classified class I. II and III. The flame speed was also recorded very less compared to control fabric, self extinguishing property was observed and no afterglow was recorded after burning. Hence, the nano finished fabric with nano clay and ammonium sulphamate produced fire retardant fabrics. Through SEM and EDS, it was observed that the nano particles adhered in the fabric uniformly and forming a thin film of the surface of the fabric thereby prohibiting the fire to catch easily by the fabric. The LOI test also showed that the fire retardancy property was achieved successfully. All the treated fabric showed the good fire retardancy property. But at the higher percentage of nano particles concentration showed excellent flame retardancy with LOI value 28ThesisItem Open Access Blending of Hibiscus Cannabinus with Ramie for value added products(AAU, Jorhat, 2018-07) Kakoty, Ankita; Phukan, Ava RaniNatural fiber seems to be the most imminent alternative for chemically treated synthetic fibers. Products from natural fibers are now getting more and more preferred across the globe over synthetic fiber products which has less bio degradable characters and the manufacture of which add more to the carbon credit. India has a big role to play in such a situation by utilizing its large reservoir of fibers in the most diverse terrine of the country. One of the bast fiber Kenaf which is being selected for the study is a feasible source of cellulose which is economically viable and ecologically friendly which could be utilized for extraction of fiber. This study is an attempt to explore the possibilities of Kenaf fibers blending with Ramie fiber. Natural fiber blending with other fiber posses valuable properties and presently various diversified products are made from these fibers. Blending is done to produce fabrics with a better combination of performance characteristics in the product and to obtain better hand on fabric appearance. There is no perfect fiber. All fibers have good, fair and poor characteristics. Blending enables the technician to combine fibers so that the good qualities are emphasized and poor qualities are minimized. Efforts have been made in the present investigation to extract the fiber from Kenaf plant, and its blending with Ramie fiber and preparation of fabric for making diversified products. The physical and chemical properties of the fibers were evaluated accordingly. Kenaf and Ramie fibers were subjected to blending process at the ratio of Kenaf: Ramie 75:25, 50:50 and 25:75 to produce yarns. The physical properties such as twist, count, tenacity, elongation, wicking height, and density of blended yarns were evaluated and the blended proportion Kenaf: Ramie 75:25, 50:50 and 25:75 were feasible for producing fabric using the plain weave construction and used to produce value added products. The constructed fabrics were then analysed for mechanical properties such as fabric count, cover factor, fabric weight, thickness, stiffness and crease recovery. Also standard graphs on Scanning Electron microscopy (SEM) and Infrared test were done for both controlled and blended samples. The functional properties such as tensile strength, elongation, drapability, and wicking height, air permeability and tearing strength were also evaluated. The study on the fabric properties showed satisfactory results for both controlled and blended fabrics for textile use. Finally, value added products were prepared for the controlled and blended fabrics. Subjective evaluations of the products were done through visual assessment method and the respondents opined that, all the products were better suited according to type of the fabric which can be recommended for commercialization.ThesisItem Open Access EVALUATION OF TWILL WEAVE FABRICS MADE OF BLENDED ERI-MODAL AND ERIACRYLIC YARNS SUITABLE FOR DIFFERENT DRESS DESIGNS(AAU, Jorhat, 2018-06) Boruah, Sunita; Kalita, Binita BaishyaDress designing has always been an important art and a well- designed garment has beauty and appropriateness, which makes it right for the wearer. To achieve a good fit, it is necessary to give attention to finer details such as fabric structure, individual proportion and contours. In textiles, fabrics are manufactured in wide varieties and designs which are produced by different weaving techniques that enhance the look of aesthetic value of the apparels. Union fabrics are those, where fabrics are created with warp of one kind of yarn and weft of another yarn or blended yarn in one direction or both warp and weft direction of different blended yarn. Weaving of such fabrics has opened a new era with limitless possibilities in the field of textile, as well as in fashion world. The review of the literature suggested that there is an increased interest in blending of silk with other fibres but limited work has been done regarding blending of eri silk with modal and acrylic on commercial spinning system. Therefore, the investigation was carried out to “Evaluation of twill weaves fabrics made of blended eri-modal and eri-acrylic yarns suitable for different dress designs” with the objectives to blend the yarns in different proportions using selected fibres, to analyse the physical properties of selected fibres and yarns, to construct the union fabrics of different twill weaves using selected yarns, to assess the mechanical, comfort and tactile properties of woven fabrics, to design and construct different dresses based on the fabric properties and to take opinion on constructed dresses. The study was limited in three different types of fibres- eri silk, modal and acrylic and three blend proportions were selected, 30:70, 50:50 and70:30.The weaves were limited to only twill weave and derivatives of twill i.e. herringbone and diamond. The present study was conducted to analyze the physical and mechanical characteristics of fibre. The count and diameter of eri silk fiber were higher than modal and acrylic fiber. Whiteness index and the Initial Modulus were found to be highest in modal and lowest in eri-silk. Fibre density and moisture content observed maximum in eri silk followed by modal and acrylic. The tenacity and specific work of rupture of acrylic fibre was greater than modal and eri silk fibre. The results indicated that elongation per cent for eri silk is higher as compared to modal and acrylic fibre. Six developed yarns with varying proportions and one definite count (1/30s) with Z twist were prepared. From the study it was found that the physical and mechanical properties of yarn samples of both the controlled and blended were significant at 5% level of significance and all the samples were found to be different with each other. The developed twill, herringbone and diamond weaves woven fabrics were analyzed for physical, mechanical and comfort properties. Interaction among all the tested samples, the highest fabric count and cloth cover factor were observed in EA 30:70 with diamond weave in both direction. The fabric weight and thickness of all the controlled samples were in increasing trend as compared to union fabrics. Regarding the interaction between all the test fabrics in both the way i.e. warp and weft way controlled eri silk with diamond fabrics was exhibited highest mean value in stiffness, drape co-efficient and dimensional stability. Maximum mean value of flexural rigidity was observed in sample EM 30:70 and the crease recovery angle of all the test samples in both warp and weft direction was seen in sample EA 30:70 with twill weave.The highest wicking height in both the warp and weft direction was observed in controlled modal with diamond weave. Among all the test fabrics, EA 30:70 were exhibited highest values of tensile strength and loss in mass in warp and weft-way. The modal test fabrics with twill weave showing increase trend of air permeability and thermal conductivity. The maximum mean value of thermal insulation was observed in sample controlled acrylic with diamond weave. Subjective evaluations of union fabrics were done by 100 respondents to assess the fabrics visual inspection like appearance, lustre, handle, texture and suitability of products prepared from union fabrics. Respondent opined that all the woven samples have good appearance, soft in hand and smooth in texture. It was observed that cent percent of respondents found eri-modal blended union fabrics with three weaves were high in lustre. The rank order of preferences for the constructed dresses were evaluated by the respondents and it was interesting to note that the rank order of preferences for selection of dress designs and the constructed dresses were found to be similar. The costs of blended yarn were got reduced in comparison to that of 100 per cent eri-silk yarn and it was also observed that the cost of blended union fabrics of different proportion that got reduced in comparison to that of controlled eri silk fabrics.ThesisItem Open Access ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECT OF HERBAL PLANTS ON COTTON FABRICS(AAU, Jorhat, 2016-07) Choudhury, Swapna; Phukan, Ava RaniThe study comprises of an investigation on antimicrobial effect of herbal plants on cotton fabric. Antimicrobial finish on textiles is a large research focus in the textiles industry. The population explosion and the environmental pollution in the recent years forced the researchers to find new health and hygiene related products for the well being of mankind. The nuisance caused by microbes is numerous and the problem is still aggravated in tropical and subtropical regions. Pathogenic microorganisms transfer infectious diseases and develop lung related disorders. Mold and fungi cause staining, discolouration and degradation of textile substrates. The Antimicrobial textiles are becoming important to avoid cross infection by pathogenic microorganisms, especially bacteria to control the infestation by microbes and to arrest metabolism in microbes in order to reduce the formation of odor. Textiles for medical and hygienic use have become important areas in the textile industry. Therefore, to reduce/prevent infections, various antibacterial compounds have been used for all types of textiles. The solutions of disinfectant used are generally active in vitro, but, it is also necessary to know the effectiveness of disinfected cloths while in use. In the current study, eco-friendly natural antimicrobial finishes have been prepared from the plant extracts for textile application. Out of 35 plants having antimicrobial properties ten (10) nos. of plants have been selected on the basis of availability as well as knowing its antimicrobial function. The different parts of the plants such as root and leaf were extracted using different solvents like ethanol, methanol, acetone and aqueous solution. These extracts were tested by diffusion method against three isolated bacteria associated with cotton fabrics to confirm the antimicrobial activity. The durability of the fresh and aged extract up to 6 month with their effectiveness against all isolated bacteria were also examined. Finally five herbal extracts from Achyranthes aspera, Adhatoca vasica, Ageratum conyzoides, Bambusa tulda and Chromolaena odorata with methanol have been applied on cotton fabrics by direct application method. Different concentrations of herbal extracts (100%, 50%, 25%, 12.5%, 6.25% and 3.125%) were applied to 100% cotton material for developing antimicrobial finish on the material. All tests done on organisms showed results up to 25% concentration except Adhatoca vasica, which showed results up to 3.125% concentration (Isolate II) and Ageratum conyzoides showed results only at 100% concentration in case of isolate I. All the treatments with methanol extracts showed good antimicrobial properties. The wash durability of the fabrics up to 10(ten) wash cycles against bacteria were done to evaluate the durability of the finished fabrics. The results of the present study showed that the most susceptible bacteria were Bacillus clausii bacteria in all standard test methods. It has been observed that there is a decreasing trend on the antibacterial activity of the finish material with every wash cycle. The treated fabrics were then analyzed for physical properties such as stiffness, crease recovery angle, tensile strength, elongation, wicking height etc. Decrease in tensile strength was observed in both warp and weft direction which could be due to the various treatment given to the material. Results showed that the effect of Adhatoca vasica extract was stronger than other herbal extract used in the study. It was also observed from the research findings carried out by other research workers that the antimicrobial effect of plant extract varies from one plant to another and also from place to place. This may be due to many factors such as the effect of climate, soil composition, age and vegetation cycle of plant, quality, quantity and composition of extracted product and different bacterial strains.
