Abstract
The present study used 391 Barbary ewes raised in Libya for two successive years over three geographical regions. This study included one flock from the desert region and another flock from the mountainous region whereas four flocks represented the northern coast. The objectives of this study were to investigate the potentiality of wool production in Libyan Barbary sheep and to clarify the effect of location, year of shearing and age of ewes on the characteristics of Barbary fleeces. Fleeces of the animals were collected and utilized to estimate the average greasy (1.66 kg) and clean fleece weight (0.90 kg), clean wool weight/ kg body weight (23.64 grams), percentage of wool shrinkage (45.34%), fibre diameter (29.57m), medullated fibre percentage (8.77%), staple length (8.16cm), fibre length (11.52cm), number of crimps/2cm (4.63), percentages of fine, coarse, and kemp fibres (68.82%, 22.38% and 8.80%, respectively). The fleeces were appraised for greasy colour grade (2.29), lustre grade (2.32), kemp score (2.06), handle grade (2.86) and bulk grade (2.93). Fleece structure differed markedly among geographical areas as well as among locations. Barbary sheep kept in the coast produced heavier fleece weight with lustrous wool, more fine and least kemp fibres. Fleeces grown in the mountain had longer and bulkier wool whereas whiter wool could be obtained from fleeces produced in the desert. While Bir El-Ghanem and Tajoura flocks of the coast produced more wool, the former flock had longer fibres and the second one produced lustrous wool with coarser fibres and higher medullation. It seemed that the environmental conditions prevailed during the first year of this study favoured the biosynthesis of longer wool which led to heavier fleece weight. However, fleeces of the second year were appraised to be softer, more lustrous, bulkier and kempy than 2 those produced in the first year. Older animals tended to decrease their efficiency of wool production and produced yellower wool with more kemp and higher wool shrinkage together with more crimp in coarse fibres. The possibility of improving wool traits in Barbary fleeces were discussed.