Evaluating Maturity of Cotton Fibers Using Image Analysis: Definition and Algorithm

Maturity of cotton fibers refers to the extent of development of their secondary wall and is an important characteristic. To characterize and quantify cotton maturity, we have developed an imaging system based on our previous research on fiber cross- sectional shape analysis. In this paper, we focus on methods of characterizing cotton fiber maturity. We review the techniques for processing images of fiber cross sections, propose a new approach for describing cotton maturity and discuss other related char acteristics.