Feasibility study of assessing cotton fiber maturity from near infrared hyperspectral imaging technique

Background Fiber maturity is a key cotton quality property, and its variability in a sample impacts fiber processing and dyeing performance. Currently, the maturity is determined by using established protocols in laboratories under a controlled environment. There is an increasing need to measure fiber maturity using low-cost (in general less than $20 000) and small portable systems. In this study, a laboratory feasibility was performed to assess the ability of the shortwave infrared hyperspectral imaging (SWIR HSI) technique for determining the conditioned fiber maturity, and as a comparison, a bench-top commercial and expensive (in general greater than $60 000) near infrared (NIR) instrument was used. Results Although SWIR HSI and NIR represent different measurement technologies, consistent spectral characteristics were observed between the two instruments when they were used to measure the maturity of the locule fiber samples in seed cotton and of the well-defined fiber samples, respectively. Partial least squares (PLS) models were established using different spectral preprocessing parameters to predict fiber maturity. The high prediction precision was observed by a lower root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) (< 0.046), higher R p 2 (> 0.518), and greater percentage (97.0%) of samples within the 95% agreement range in the entire NIR region (1 000∼2 500 nm) without the moisture band at 1 940 nm. Conclusion SWIR HSI has a good potential for assessing cotton fiber maturity in a laboratory environment.