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Manila hemp, also known as
abacá Abacá ( ; fil, Abaka ), binomial name ''Musa textilis'', is a species of banana native to the Philippines, grown as a commercial crop in the Philippines, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. The plant, also known as Manila hemp, has great economic impor ...
, is a type of buff-colored
fiber Fiber or fibre (from la, fibra, links=no) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorporate ...
obtained from ''
Musa textilis Musa may refer to: Places *Mūša, a river in Lithuania and Latvia *Musa, Azerbaijan, a village in Yardymli Rayon *Musa, Iran, a village in Ilam Province *Musa, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Iran *Musa, Kerman, Iran *Musa, Bukan, West Azerbaijan Pro ...
'' (a relative of edible bananas), which is likewise called Manila hemp as well as
abacá Abacá ( ; fil, Abaka ), binomial name ''Musa textilis'', is a species of banana native to the Philippines, grown as a commercial crop in the Philippines, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. The plant, also known as Manila hemp, has great economic impor ...
. It is mostly used for pulping for a range of uses, including specialty papers. It was once used mainly to make
Manila rope Manila rope is a type of rope made from manila hemp. Manila hemp is a type of fiber obtained from the leaves of the abacá Abacá ( ; fil, Abaka ), binomial name ''Musa textilis'', is a species of banana native to the Philippines, grow ...
, but this is now of minor importance. Abacá is an exceptionally strong fibre, nowadays used for special papers like teabag tissue. It is also very expensive, priced several times higher than woodpulp. Manila envelopes and
Manila paper Manila paper is a relatively inexpensive type of paper, generally made through a less-refined process than other types of paper, and is typically made from semi-bleached wood fibers. It is just as strong as kraft paper but has better printing qu ...
take their name from this fibre. It is not actually
hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...
but is named so because hemp was long a major source of fibre, and other fibres were sometimes named after it. The name refers to the
capital of the Philippines This is a list of current and former national capital cities in the Philippines, which includes during the time of the Captaincy General of the Philippines, Spanish colonization, the First Philippine Republic, the Commonwealth of the Philippines ...
, one of the main producers of Manila hemp. The
hatmaking Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter. Historically, milliners, typically women shopkeepers, produced or imported an inventory of g ...
straw made from Manila hemp is called ''tagal'' or ''tagal straw''.


Diversity

The Philippines, especially the
Bicol region Bicol, known formally as the Bicol Region or colloquially as Bicolandia ( bcl, Rehiyon kan Bikol; Rinconada Bikol: ''Rehiyon ka Bikol''; Waray Sorsogon, Masbateño: ''Rehiyon san Bikol''; tl, Rehiyon ng Bikol), is an administrative region of ...
in
Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
, has the most Manila hemp or abacá genotypes and cultivars. Genetic analysis using simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers revealed that the Philippines' abacá
germplasm Germplasm are living genetic resources such as seeds or tissues that are maintained for the purpose of animal and plant breeding, preservation, and other research uses. These resources may take the form of seed collections stored in seed banks, tr ...
is genetically diverse.  Abaca genotypes in Luzon had higher genetic diversity than in the
Visayas The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Bisayan languages, Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; tl, Kabisayaan ), are one of the three Island groups of the Philippines, principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao ...
and
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
. Ninety-five (95) percent was attributed to molecular variance within the population, and only 5% of the molecular variance to variation among populations. Genetic analysis by Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) revealed several clusters irrespective of geographical origin.


Production process

Unlike
cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...
and some other natural fibres like
cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...
Abacá plants require no pesticides, herbicides or irrigation. This allows mixed-species, organic plantations in areas which were
monoculture In agriculture, monoculture is the practice of growing one crop species in a field at a time. Monoculture is widely used in intensive farming and in organic farming: both a 1,000-hectare/acre cornfield and a 10-ha/acre field of organic kale are ...
oil palm ''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms containing two species, called oil palms. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African oil palm ''Elaeis guineensis'' (the species name ''guineensis'' referring to its co ...
plantations, and in deforested rainforest cut down for
lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...
. Growing abacá plants can reduce
erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...
, increase
biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...
and enrich the soil. This is accomplished by interplanting abacá with other plant species and by allowing discarded abacá leaves to decompose and return their nutrients to the soil.


Cultivation

The Abacá plants are grown in Catanduanes in the Philippine highlands without the use of water or pesticides. The banana plant is harvested up to three times per year. File:01-QWSTION-BANANATEX-ABACA-LEAVES-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, 1. Abacá plants have several stalks which can be harvested annually and regenerate fully within a year. File:06-QWSTION-BANANATEX-ABACA-HARVEST-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, 2. Abacá plants are harvested by “topping”, cutting the leaves with a bamboo sickle, cutting or “tumbling” the stalks. The leaves are
compost Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant, food waste, recycling organic materials and manure. The resulting m ...
on the ground, creating a fertiliser. File:12-QWSTION-BANANATEX-TUXYING-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, 3. The tuxy, the outer layer of the leaf sheath contains primary fibres is separated from the inner layers. File:13-QWSTION-BANANATEX-TUXYING-2-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, 4. The inner layers contain the secondary fibres and pulpy material. File:14-QWSTION-BANANATEX-STRIPPING-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, 5.The tuxies are separated by hand using a stripping knife at the harvesting site. File:16-QWSTION-BANANATEX-STRIPPING-LAUSCHSICHT-2.jpg, 6. The fibres are then “combed” to separate them. File:20-QWSTION-BANANATEX-FIBERS-2-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, 7. The fibres are then air-dried and bundled together before being transported from forest to the trading warehouse of the farmers cooperative. File:23-QWSTION-BANANATEX-ABACA-GRADES.jpg, 8. There they are sorted by colour grades, with lighter coloured fibres being more expensive due to their rarity.


Processing

File:30-QWSTION-BANANATEX-FIBER-PULP-SHEETS-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, alt=1. The raw fibres are tied with rope and shipped to Mindanao, Philippines, where they are boiled and pressed into cardboard like sheets which are then shipped to Taiwan., 1. The raw fibres are tied with rope and shipped to a factory, where they are boiled and pressed into cardboard like sheets. File:31-QWSTION-BANANATEX-PAPER-MAKING.jpg, 2. The abacá fibre sheets are then soaked in water. File:32-QWSTION-BANANATEX-ABACA-PAPER-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, 3. They are then made into paper which are then cut into strips. File:34-QWSTION-BANANATEX-YARN-SPINNING.jpg, 4. The paper strips are then spun into yarn.


Dyeing and weaving

File:36-1-QWSTION-BANANATEX-YARN-DYEING-2.jpg, alt=1. The natural white yarn is sent to Qwstion's dyeing and weaving partner in Tainan, Taiwan. They colour the yarn using the yarn dyeing method which is more sustainable than the roll dyeing alternative and certified OekoTex® Standard 100, the highest standard., 1. The natural white yarn is then coloured using the yarn dyeing method which is more sustainable than the roll dyeing alternative. File:40-QWSTION-BANANATEX-WARPING-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, 2. The warp yarns are then prepared for weaving. File:38-QWSTION-BANANATEX-WEAVING-3-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, 3. The yarn is then woven at extra high density. File:48-QWSTION-BANANATEX-LOOM-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, Weaving looms processing the fabric. File:49-QWSTION-BANANATEX-FABRIC.jpg, 4. The finished
Bananatex Bananatex is a natural cellulosic biodegradable "technical" canvas fabric made of Abacá banana plant fibres (also known as Manila hemp). The plants are grown in the Philippines as part of a sustainable forestry project in Catanduanes. Bananatex w ...
brand Manila hemp fabric, a natural beeswax coating is added to make the fabric waterproof.


See also

*
International Year of Natural Fibres International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...


References


External links


Abaca Plant (''Musa textilis'') - Manila Hemp
* {{Authority control Musaceae Fiber plants