The Meghalaya Ramie Project
A Four Year Project
Prologue
Humankind has been blessed with a only handful of natural fibres that are limited in supply, in contrast to the abundance of synthetic and smart textile creation available.
If given a choice, natural fibres would certainly remain humanity’s first preference. This insight came to me while visiting one of the highly impressive Textile Research Centers of France.
Therefore it is surprising how little research has been undertaken in researching anteriority in Gene Editing in the domain of textiles, and even at the level of GMO to improve existing natural fibres, the way it is already commonplace for fruits, vegetables and flowers.
Hemant Sagar
The Ramie Project
‘in a Nutshell’
This eco-agricultural project offers great potential to cultivate the Ramie fibre that grows freely in Meghalaya, the smallest province of India situated in the North.
Our objective is to bring to market this fibre which grows abundantly without the addition of any fertilizer or water, and thus has no carbon footprint. In addition to the highest annual rainfall in the world, Meghalaya possesses ample agricultural land ready for the cultivation of this plant that has never been used for high end textiles because of its scratchy characteristics.
This project aims at evolving the plant at its molecular level (non-GMO) to avoid polluting processes for the use of the fibre at an industrial level, for clothing textiles. Ramie, in the way it grows in Meghalaya, leaves no carbon footprint. The goal of this project is to approach the feel of cotton without its devastating effects on the environment. We have not been able to identify any other projects comparable to this one.
The Ramie Project Synopsis
In late 2017 I was introduced to the State of Meghalaya and met Chief Minister Sangma, who was in his final year of office at the time. Officials from the Government asked me if I had any ideas as to how Ramie, a free growing (probably wild) fibre found in Meghalaya used by tribals to produce artisanal fishing nets, could be used in a bigger way to provide for a livelihood for local farmers and also the State.
“Bonjour India” a celebration of France in India and “Namaste France” a celebration of India in France were both coming up in 2018. I proposed organizing a workshop to indicate maiden use of said fibre, never before used for garments in its pure form in India. The idea was accepted by both parties, the Institute of France in India as well as the Government of Meghalaya.
The Ramie Project thus saw the Light of Day.
A unique group of designers dedicated to Forward Thinking Fashion was handpicked from the pan-India design community, including furniture and jewelry design, and requested to create a unique piece in Ramie. A delegation from Hauts de France, the renowned cradle of French textiles industry heritage happened to be in India on a travel of study at this precise moment. They were very interested in this fibre from the day they heard of it for the first time. Similar fibres grow in Northern France and there is a whole industrial region dealing exclusively with similar textiles of the linen family.
A first crop of Ramie was harvested for the creation of the mentioned Ramie exhibition. It was then processed and forwarded to a factory that wanted to undertake this unknown task of following the classic procedure of degumming the fibre, and then weaving it into a mix with local Eri-Silk. Thus, a first batch of approximately 200 yards was obtained and passed on to the said group of 17 Designers to create an original piece for an exhibition planned as the keynote event of the “Bonjour India” Festival of 2017 with an exclusive exhibition at the official residence of Alexandre Ziegler, then Ambassador of France to India.
This exhibition was entirely sponsored by the State of Meghalaya; a contingent including officials as well as Farmers from the state were present to celebrate the birth of a new way to use this natural fibre.
A period of great enthusiasm ensued and was followed up by an official visit of the Delhi Institute of France to Meghalaya, a state with which France had no specific ties before this Ramie collaboration. Hemant Sagar was a member of this delegation.
This trip opened a plethora of possibilities of collaboration, followed by an official invitation to the State of Meghalaya by the Ambassador of France, to visit Paris at the time of ‘SIAL’, the Agricultural Trade Fair in Paris, and to combine it with a visit to Lille, the capital of ‘Hauts de France’. In a way this was a continuation of the first contact with the delegation we had been in touch with at the beginning. This trip was lead by Honorable Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and accompanied by Hemant Sagar, in charge of the introduction of this present project. Professor Simon Hawkins, an eminent researcher specialized in cell membrane biology of these species of plants (nettle, flax), presented his work to the delegation.
Ramie grows more or less wild in Meghalaya, ensuring up to six harvests a year for a plant life of approximately 25 years. No addition of any chemical is necessary and the fibre thus leaves absolutely no imprint on the environment. Mainly due to the extremely high rainfall in Meghalaya and its rapid natural growth make it a 100% natural fibre, unfortunately a bit too scratchy to be worn as a garment and thus relatively undeveloped. It is also a fibre that is naturally sterile, antibacterial, resistant to pests and is used as a technical textile for many industries.
Approaching Hauts de France came with a certain amount of pleasant surprises:
- The State of Meghalaya and Hauts de France are of approximately identical size and population
- Hauts de France is the hub of the French linen Industry. Linen could be classified as a sister fibre of Ramie, placed somewhere between flax and nettle. Research and development on the fibre would thus be a natural fit for this region, and an ideal partner in this venture with Meghalaya.
Hemant Sagar met Manash Chatterjee of BenchBio, a scientific entrepreneur set up in Gujarat, at a scientific summit in India. The encounter led to a pre-project of developing the totally new skin- and wearer- friendly Ramie fibre in collaboration with Professor Simon Hawkins, an eminent textile researcher at the CNRS, the French Centre of Scientific Research, who is also a professor at the University of Lille.
On the day of the delegation’s visit to Lille during October 2018, a full day of presentations by the different textile institutions of Hauts de France was held. The agenda included a presentation by Professor Hawkins to Chief Minister Sangma . In attendance were the delegation from India, along with the initial delegation from Hauts de France that was present in Delhi in the early days of the Ramie Project.
An official meeting with the government of Hauts de France in Lille was held to celebrate the event of the delegation and to toast future success.
Due to Covid-related delays, this trip is yet to be followed up by the visit of a delegation to Meghalaya to decide on various points of collaboration between the State of Meghalaya and Hauts de France.
Points of Progress Made:
The State of Meghalaya has confirmed that Ramie fibre could be planted on a large scale in their state with the goal of developing agriculture and the livelihood of farmers. The State has spun out Textiles as a separate ministry from the Ministry of Agriculture to signify its importance.
Mr. Hemant Sagar is undertaking steps through Professor Hawkins and the CNRS to develop an improved version of the Ramie plant through gene editing, but without the introduction of any bacterial or viral genes, to achieve added characteristics of softness while preserving anti-viral properties. The plant we are planning to obtain would have a unique molecular and genetic structure.
To formalize the involvement of Professor Hawkins and the CNRS, and the relationship that Meghalaya and Hauts de France wish to develop, collaborations are envisaged between the universities of Lille, Hauts de France and Shillong, Meghalaya to create a common scientific agenda for the field research work.
Traditional Ramie in Meghalaya Today
Traditional Usage
- Industrial sewing thread
- Packing materials
- Cordage, marine ropes, fishing nets
- Dresses, suits, skirts, jackets, pants, blouses, shirts, children wear, mixed with cotton in knitted sweaters: ONLY blended with other (usually natural) fibres.
- Home fashion – curtains, draperies, upholstery, bedspreads, table linens, sheets, dish towels: Blended with other textile fibres
- Parachute fabrics
- Woven fire hoses, ammunition belts, camouflage nets, cartridge cloth
- Narrow weaving canvas
- Filter cloth
- When used in a mixture with wool, shrinkage is reported to be greatly reduced when compared with pure wool
- Short waste fibres are used for the production of high quality papers, such as bank notes & cigarette papers
- Traditionally grown in the Garo Hills and southern slopes for rope making
- Reintroduced under NWDPRA & Directorate of Jute Development 2002-2007
- 10 Ha propagation farm & 1000 Ha in 77 watersheds as intercrop with areca nut (Sorbhog varieties), died out. Revived in 2016 by departmental scheme at an approximate cost of $300,000 (INR 2 crores)
- Concentrated in Garo Hills at 150 m to 320 m altitude
- Ideal growing conditions: Warm humid summers, cool winters
- Soil: Lateritic loam to silty loam, acidic
- Current cultivation: 460 Ha by 780 farmers
- 4 times annual harvest (rainfed), up to 6 under irrigation
- Average yield: 20 qtls/Ha dried fibre
- Contains 19 -28 % of gum (reported), soil nutrient dependent
PROCESS SEQUENCE
RAMIE fibre TO YARN STAGE
The current Ramie fiber refining process is similar to that of silk. Future Ramie processing will depend on future fiber quality. Eco-friendly processing to be developed in sync with the ‘NEW’ fiber
1. Post Fiber Retting
- Soaking + Breaking decorticate
- Soften cellulose
- Boiling
2. Washing – Post Fiber Retting
Retting in tropics (natural) otherwise chemical
3. 1st Boiling
- 1st boiling to achieve softening of the fibre
4. 2nd Boiling
- Add caustic soda to dissolve cellulose
- Fibers open up with carbolic acid
- The result is Fiber + pulp
5. Hydro Extraction
- Semi Dry – Dry
6. Gassing to remove hairs
- Similar to silk
7. 2nd Fiber Opening after Drying
- Fluffy
8. Silk
- Floss Cutting
9. Combing
- Silk
- Yarn pre-step
- Separated all / each fiber
- Cotton wool
10. Fiber Fleece after Combing
11. Checking
12. Spreader Machine
- Fluff = Less + Less
13. Second Spreading
- Fibre out of Fluff
14. Slivering
- Mass of fluff
- All Ioning of fibres.
15. Drawing – 3 passage
- Drain it out into single fibres
16. Roving
- Threads put on to spindles after drain
17. Spinning
- Into actual fibre
18. Coning
- Put onto cones
19. Assembling Yarns
20. Twisting
21. Gassing to remove hairs
- Gas lamps burn off hairs to smoothen fibre
- These can be sold
22. Yarn Reeling: Final Process before Weaving
A word from the Stakeholders
- Professor SR Joshi – An eminent scientist and researcher who has previously undertaken steps towards research for an organic post harvest treatment of the Ramie plant.
- Mr. Swarup Kumar – A senior partner & patent Lawyer at Remfry & Sagar specialized in Bio Chemistry
Annex: First sequence of Ramie planting was undertaken by Bench Bio in Maharashtra, India. This repeated planting of the seeds from the preceding generation is referred to as ‘Tilling’. We are currently searching for partner companies for this step.
Ramie Project – Background information and overview
Professor Simon Hawkins, B.Sc., Ph.D., HDR. Plant Cell Wall Dynamics Group, Assistant Director Structural and Functional Glycobiology Laboratory, UMR 8576 CNRS UGSF, University of Lille, France
Ramie fibres are used to make textiles. Textile “quality” is conditioned by several factors e.g. the intrinsic “quality” of the fibres in the plant, the method(s) used to extract the fibres from the plant, and the industrial transformation process (plant fibres to thread to textile).
All of these factors are – to a greater or lesser extent – related to fibre (or fibre bundle) morphology (e.g. length, diameter of individual fibres), cell wall composition (botanically speaking, fibres correspond to a structure called the plant cell wall that remains after the death of the plant cell and is composed of different polymers such as cellulose, hemicelluloses, pectins, lignin – differences in the relative quantity and the chemical structure of these polymers modify fibre physical/mechanical/chemical properties) and cell wall organization (where in the cell wall polymers are located and how they interact with one another).
fibre morphology, cell wall composition and cell wall organization are themselves controlled by a combination of genetic and environmental factors (e.g. temperature, rainfall, soil) during the growth of the ramie plant.
Project outline
In the proposed project it is planned to increase the natural genetic variability of ramie plants and produce a population of plants that could be screened in order to identify individual plants showing interesting traits (e.g. modified fibre cell wall structure, increased resistance to environmental stress, better fibre processing qualities etc.). Such individual plants could then be introduced into conventional breeding programs aiming to produce new improved ramie varieties/cultivars. Increased natural genetic variability will be obtained by treating seeds with Ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) – this is a non-GMO method (i.e. no foreign DNA is introduced into ramie plants).
Two complementary approaches will be used to identify plants showing interesting traits:
i. A targeted approach by the Tilling technique. In this approach, the population is screened to identify those plants showing modifications in genes potentially associated with fibre cell wall formation. Since fibre cell wall formation is a biologically complex process, there is no guarantee that changes to the targeted genes will lead to changes in cell wall structure. It will therefore be necessary to analyze fibre cell wall to assess whether (and to what extent) cell walls have been modified. If changes to cell wall structure are indeed observed, it will be necessary to evaluate the impact of these changes on different parameters associated with fibre quality (e.g. tensile strength, Young’s modulus etc.).
ii. A non-targeted approach. Here, the whole population of plants is screened via a series of increasingly complex analyses in order to identify those plants showing modifications in fibre cell wall structure. As for the targeted approach it will be necessary to assess the effect of the cell wall changes on fibre quality parameters.
Partner work
The proposed project involves two main scientific partners (The BenchBio company and the UGSF lab). A brief outline of the work to be undertaken by these partners is given below.
The BenchBio company will produce the population (population size to define) of ramie plants for subsequent analyses. Preliminary experiments have demonstrated that this approach works in ramie. They will also extract plant DNA and create the DNA pools necessary to implement the targeted approach by TILLING. Identification on the best potential genes to be targeted will be provided by the UGSF lab based upon bio-informatic analysis of the ramie genome, in situ characterization of cell wall gene families, gene expression analyses and their expert knowledge in the field of plant cell wall biology. Information on the best genes will be transmitted to BenchBio who will then identify individual plants showing modifications in selected cell wall genes using the Tilling aapproach. Seeds of these plants (number to be defined) will then be sent to the UGSF lab for plant growth and analysis in order to assess whether (and how) fibre cell wall structure has been modified. Evaluation of how any identified modifications affect fibre quality parameters will be done by sub-contracting to external expert partners (e.g. GEMTEX lab, ENSAIT) as well as by Hemant Sagar Co. Preliminary screening of the ramie population (non-targeted approach) will be undertaken by BenchBio and seeds of potentially interesting plants (number to be defined) will be transmitted to the UGSF for plant growth and subsequent detailed characterization of fibre cell walls. fibres showing potentially interesting modifications in architecture, composition and/or cell wall polymer organization will then be obtained from these plants and parameters related to fibre quality will be assessed in the same way as for plants identified in the targeted approach.
Main project deliverables (non-exhaustive)
- Increased scientific and technical knowledge about the ramie plant (in general) and ramie fibres (in detail).
- Production of scientific publications and communications.
- Creation of a ramie population and DNA pools that can be used to identify individual plants showing changes to a wide range of different traits (i.e. this population could be exploited in future projects aiming to improve other traits of interest e.g. resistance to diseases and adverse environmental conditions (drought, soil salinity, high temperatures etc.) and select plants of interest for the agroindustry and pharmaceutics (leaves, seeds).
- Identification of individual ramie plants showing modifications in fibre cell wall structure.
- Potential identification of ramie plants that could be introduced into breeding programs to produce improved varieties/cultivars.
Project Proposal
Bioprospection of microbes and technology development for the degumming of decorticated Ramie fibres
Principal Investigator : Dr. S.R. Joshi
Professor
Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics
North-Eastern Hill University
Permanent Campus, Umshing,
Shillong-793022, Meghalaya (India)
Duration : Four Years
Project summary
Ramie, one of the strongest natural textile fibres, is obtained from the plant Boehmeria nivea (L) Gaud belonging to the nettle family Utricaceae and mainly grown in temperate and tropical areas (Dempsey, 1975). The degummed fibre is exceptionally white, comparable to bleached cotton, and also has a high luster when compared to that of flax, with twice the tenacity (Basu, 1981). It is a versatile fibre and is used for making apparels, curtains, draperies, upholsteries, towels, and canvasses, filter cloths, etc. The fibre has tremendous scope for blending with other natural and synthetic fibres for manufacturing of apparels and also for production of diversified items. About 19 species of ramie have been reported so far from India, most of which are distributed in North Eastern India including Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Sikkim (Vavilov, 1951). Ramie has failed to become a major textile crop in this region mainly due to difficulties in processing of the fibre. Conventional chemical treatment for degumming of decorticated ramie bast fibre is effective but has high production cost and causes release of environmental pollutants. Microbial degumming is a modern method of processing of fibres which aims at getting the best fibre quality with environmentally conscious approach. Review of literature indicated that the use of microbial enzymes to remove the non-cellulosic gummy material from the decorticated fibre needs more attention as no standard process has been reported on a commercial scale. The proposal aims to study the effect of single and consortium microbial culture capable of removing the residual gum for better processing of the fibre.
Origin Of The Proposal
Ramie fibre is one of the strongest, natural textile fibres in the world, obtained from the plant Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud. The strength, lustre and absorbance capacity of the fibre make it a special one among the natural fibres (Maiti et al., 2010). Ramie fibre possesses excellent quality, and durability of exposition. The fibre is twice stronger than cotton and has better length: breadth ratio than cotton (Satya et al., 2010). The fabric is used in the textile industry for the manufacture of various types of superior quality clothing materials and can be mixed and blended with cotton, viscose, polyester, wool, hemp, jute, etc. It thus competes well with flax. Various kinds of products such as canvas, towels, twines, sewing threads, knitted cloths and garments are produced from ramie. Other utility products produced from ramie are filter cloths, fire hose, cloths for upholstery, marine packing, and fishing nets, fishing lines, parachutes, electrical insulation, gas mantles and various others.
Ramie is grown in China, Brazil, Indonesia, Philippines, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, India and other South Asian countries. China is the major producer of ramie fibre contributing to 96.3% of the global production. In India, it is distributed in the North East regions (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur and Sikkim), northern parts of West Bengal, Kangra Valley and parts of Western Ghat region. Meghalaya, in the north east India with high annual rainfall boasts some of the wettest areas of the world. The high humidity level during the monsoon season (May- October) provides ideal for the growth of Ramie. Warm humid climate with a well distributed annual rainfall of 1500 – 2500 mm is suitable for luxuriant growth of ramie (Vavilov, 1951).
In their natural state, ramie fibres are present in the plants’ stems in the form of fibre bundles, consisting of individual fibres that are cemented to each other by waxes and pectins. As these bundles are too thick and too long to be used for textile purposes the fibres within the bundles need to be separated by removing the waxes and pectins. The removal of these gummy materials from the fibre after decortication is known as degumming process and produces ‘technical’ fibres which can be spun into yarns. Decorticated ramie fibre contains 19–30% of non-cellulosic gummy matter, consisting of pectins, waxes, lignin and hemicellulose. The fibre will be suitable for textile application only if freed from these substances to the greatest extent possible. The main objective of ramie degumming is the removal of these non-cellulosic substances which accumulate during the growth of the ramie plant (Bruhlmann et al., 2000). Degummed ramie fibre is pure cellulosic (>90%) with little hemicellulose (<3%) and negligible lignin (<0.5%) (Satya et al., 2010).
However, despite superior properties and multiple applications, Ramie has failed to become a major textile crop mainly due to difficulties in processing of the fibre. One of the most important problems associated with the ramie fibre is its proper degumming. Proper degumming separates individual fibres and leaves them in a soft, clean state with their strength and other characteristics intact. It may be carried out on the undried or dried fibre; the latter being preferable. There are two methods of degumming- chemical degumming and microbial degumming. The material is removed in a chemical degumming process by treatment of the decorticated fibres with hot alkaline solutions, with or without application of pressure (Bhattacharyya et al., 1976). As the conventional degumming process with chemicals not only has high consumption of chemicals and energy, but it also causes environmental pollution. The incrusting material could also be removed by polysaccharide-degrading microorganisms or their enzymes in a microbial degumming process. The degumming of fibres by microorganisms has attracted wide attention and there have been considerable efforts by scientists to develop a suitable process for microbial degumming but so far no standard process has been developed on a commercial scale (Pandey, 1998). Considering the status of ramie fibre as a scarce commodity in the international as well as the national fibre trade, better scope exits in the commercialization of this potential fibre.
Microbial degumming of fibre is an eco-friendly method as it does not require the application of chemicals. A pilot study was made on degumming of decorticated ramie fibre using bacteria isolated from ramie litter. Out of the 25 pure cultures obtained by streaking method (Fig. 1), 17 isolates showed positive results for cellulase activity using CMC Test. 4 isolates (RB-1, RB-4, RB-5 and RB-14) showing the best results were selected in single and in mixture as consortium for the degumming study (Fig.2). Decorticated fibre without any inoculum was taken as control. Observation of the degumming process was taken after every 3 days.
Fig. 1: Bacterial degumming of Ramie fibre (W=Distilled water, F= Ramie fibre, MC=Mixed microbial culture)
Fig. 2: Ramie fibre quality observed after 15 days of treatment. Control (W+F) and | microbially treated (RB-14 and MC)
Definition of the problem
The unique tensile properties and luster of fibre make ramie a prized fibre crop of the world. Despite presence of suitable climate and locations to grow ramie as a profitable crop in Meghalaya, optimum utilization of this fibre crop has not been achieved. The reasons are manifold, of which easy and effective degumming of the decorticated ramie bast fibre is the principal one. Although various methods of conventional process of chemical degumming have been reported for the removal of gum from crude ramie fibre, but none is entirely satisfactory for achieving perfect and uniform degumming. Some of these are covered by patents giving little information about the methods adopted and the properties of the degummed fibres thus obtained (Bhaduri et al., 2002). Also, these processes are unsuitable, expensive and undesirable as they cause pollution.
A major concern of the textile industry is the need to make the most efficient use of natural fibres. The trend in the textile industry is at present towards eco-friendly processes and minimizing the adverse ecological effects of production. Ramie fibre degumming is a high resource-consuming process, as far as water, chemicals and energy are concerned. Moreover, it is ecologically questionable, because of the high environmental impact of effluents. The development of an effective degumming process would mean saving water and energy and lower environmental impact of effluents (Raval & Banerjee, 2003). Microbial degumming is the best alternative to chemical method as far as the resources consumption and environmental pollution is concerned. Moreover, studies have shown that because of the milder degumming conditions during biological treatment, the quality of the fibres could also be improved (Balasubramanya et al., 1998)
Objectives:
- Isolation and characterization of microbes (bacteria and fungi) from ramie plantation habitats and their characterization using molecular markers
- Microbial profiling at different stages of ramie fibre/litter decomposition.
- Selection of potent microbe(s) for use in the degumming of decorticated ramie fibres and standardization of optimized conditions for its use in the degumming process.
- Prototype technology development using the native microbes (bacteria and fungi) singly and in consortium for degumming of fibres
- Evaluation of fibre quality and standardization of technology
Review of status of Research and Development in the subject:
Microbial degumming of ramie fibres with alkalophilic and pectinolytic bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi has been reported (Hoondal et al., 2002, and Bruhlmann et al., 1994). Also, a process of microbial degumming has been reported using a strain of Bacillus subtilis (Zhang et al., 2013). Clostridium corallum was found to be effective in wetting and degumming without damage to the fibre (Cao et al., 1992). It was revealed that mixed bacterial cultures, freshly isolated from rhizospheres on sun hemp fibre (Crotalaria juncea), were found to be effective in bringing down the gum content to 15.0% at an incubation period of 7–10 days by utilizing the gums of ramie as sources of carbon and energy. A combination of microbial and chemical methods was also attempted by initial treatment with the culture isolated from sun hemp fibre rhizospheres, followed by mild alkali boiling. The gum was removed more effectively by the combined treatment than by that of the chemical treatment alone (Paul et al.,1974). In another study, several mixed bacterial cultures capable of utilizing the gum of ramie as sole sources of carbon and energy were isolated. Prior treatment with selected cultures could remove the gum to a certain extent and degrade the other portion of the gum into smaller fragments, which were hydrolysable in dilute alkali and thus more degumming was effected by the combined treatment. Microbial degumming with mixed bacterial cultures is thus a good alternative to chemical degumming. This method is economical and simpler, but because it is very slow and time consuming, it has not been very successful so far for industrial application (Pandey ,1998).
Rapid degumming of ramie fibres is reported both when ramie stem pieces were inoculated with spore suspension of Aspergillus versicolor and decorticated fibres were impregnated with cell-wall-degrading-enzymes of the mould. The strength of the fibre was not affected by the degumming treatment. Alkali pre-treatment of decorticated fibre accelerated the degumming process. A process of degumming of ramie using Ramizyme (Denmark Nova Industry A/S) to degum Yuangjiang ramie has been reported( Yuchui, 1989) . Also, a process on microbial degumming of ramie (variety R-141) has been developed by Indian scientists, using a culture of Aspergillus flavus (Ascomycetes, Eurotialesand Eurotiaceae) (Roy et al., 1998)
Plan of work and methodology:
- Selection of study sites and collection of samples
- Isolation of microbes and their maintenance
- Development of pure cultures of the microbes and their morphological, biochemical and molecular characterization
- Documentation and bioprospection of the microbial isolates of different stages of ramie fibre/litter decomposition
- Selection of potent microbe(s) for use in the degumming of decorticated ramie fibres and standardization of optimized conditions for its use in the degumming process
- Evaluation of the quality of the degummed fibre.
- Treatment of the raw fibre using the microbial isolates sinly and in consortium under laboratory conditions
- Development of prototype technology for treatment of the raw fibre using the potential microbial isolates under controlled conditions.
- Regular Evaluation of the quality of the degummed fibre.
Justification
Manpower: Since the work involves screening and bioprospection of native bacteria and fungi for degumming process, one project fellow each will be required to work on bacteria and fungi. The Technical Assistant will assist in Field work and laboratory support required for execution of the work.
Consumables: The consumables requirement is for meeting the isolation, culture and characterization of bacteria and fungal isolates along with analyses of the ramie fibre component during the treatment process. Molecular kits required for the research will be met from consumables.
Travel: Travel cost is proposed for meeting the cost for field visits and sample collection. This will also be required for travel to undertake the sample analyses.
Contingency: This will be utilized for meeting the regular expenses of contingent nature.
Polyhouse Prototype Treatment Units: The cost proposed under this head will be utilized for raising the polyhouse for growing ramie and also for constructing prototype units for treatment of ramie decorticated raw fibre using the potent microbial isolates under controlled conditions.
Other Costs including outsourcing cost: The proposed cost under this head will be required to meet the analyses of fibre samples and other molecular characterization using high end technologies.
Overhead: This will meet the institutional overhead cost.
A Techno-Legal Note by Swarup Kumar
Improvement in Ramie fibre
Ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.), usually called “China grass”, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the nettle family, Urticaceae. Ramie fibre, generated from the stem bast, is an important natural fibre in the textile industry because of the ability to retain shape, reduce wrinkling and introduce a silky luster to the appearance of a fabric. Nevertheless, the flaws, such as resistance to dyeing, confined elasticity and elongation potential and the stiff and brittle nature of the cloth, have encouraged breeding of ramie with better fibre quality. fibre quality itself depends upon the extraction process but also the biochemical composition and architecture of the fibre cell wall.
To increase the understanding of ramie fibre development and related molecular mechanism, researchers have sequenced the genome and cloned cell wall related genes recently. The genome sequencing appears to have been completed by interested parties recently. This means that gene information is available and will allow targeting of cell wall development to improve this crop now.
Object Of The Project
The overall aim of the project is improvement of Ramie plants and one of the approach could be using a non-GM method. TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesion In the Genome) can be one such non-GM method. A TILLING population for crop improvement is one such desired approach in this context. Applying TILLING technology to Ramie, with the aim of generating novel lines of Ramie with improved fibre quality is a preferred objective.
Primarily, fibre improvement in ramie is desired and later on other traits such as drought tolerance, heat tolerance, higher yields, etc, could be targeted.
Tilling Method
In the TILLING method, chemical mutagens such asc EMS (Ethyl Methane Sulfonate) which causes point mutations in the genome can be used. Advantage of the available Ramie genome sequence information to mine for candidate genes related to the desired traits (e.g. reduced fibre “gum”, increased fibre length, reduced brittleness etc.) can be used.
Approach of combination of traditional chemical mutagenesis with molecular screenings to discover induced point mutations in genes controlling important traits in Ramie whose sequence is known, may be targeted. By means of TILLING new allelic variants of the gene of interest can be identified hence new genotypes with potentially high agronomic value can be isolated and directly transferred for commercialisation after backcrossing to the parents.
The great advantage of TILLING over other methods is that it is non-transgenic approach which is more acceptable by consumers. It works with the crop’s own genome and adds new traits in already existing varieties, hence time to market is fast as there are no regulatory hurdles and therefore lower cost to market unlike GM varieties.
In the First stage, M1 plants can be generated. From each M1 plant, seeds will be harvested individually and seeds will be extracted, cleaned and bagged in individual bags (5000M2 seed packets approximately). Approximately 100-200 (one hundred to two hundred) seeds will be harvested . Approximately 20 (twenty) seeds from each M2 family (depending on the total number of seeds per M2 family) will be grown for DNA extraction and TILLING and mutants identified for the project. The Biochemical and molecular analysis work on the Mutant population can be carried out. Such analysis will confirm alterations in cell wall structure and properties.
Patent Protection :
Patent protection is desired to be obtained on the modified fibre mutants identified, modified sequences (DNA or polypeptides or proteins etc) and/or any byproduct developed from the Project.
SWARUP KUMAR (Mr.)
Swarup is a Partner at Remfry & Sagar (leading IP Firm in India) with nearly two decades of professional experience in IPR. Swarup advises a wide range of clients on IP portfolio creation, development and management.
His principal area of practice is patent law with substantive experience in contentious and non-contentious matters. His practice includes rendering patentability opinions, drafting, filing and prosecuting patent applications, handling searches, FTOs, oppositions and annuities as well as advising on transfer of rights and licences. Swarup argues appeals before the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) and appears in patent litigation matters before High court. Besides patent, Swarup is experienced in handling design as well as trademark matters.
Swarup holds a Master’s degree in Chemistry, a Master’s degree in Law, and a Diploma in Intellectual Property Rights from the premier Indian Law Institute (ILI), Delhi.
Swarup is a founder member and elected Secretary of The International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys (FICPI), India. He is also the Chair of the Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution group – CET 7 at FICPI. In this capacity, he has represented FICPI before the Indian Patent Office (IPO), USPTO, EPO, JPO and DPIIT in many instances. Earlier, he was an elected Executive Committee member of FICPI-India for two consecutive terms.
Swarup speaks regularly on Indian IP law as well as Management of IP Practice at various national and international forums such as FICPI-International, LES, BRICS-IP Forum, FICPI-China, FICPI-India etc. He has contributed several research papers, articles and pieces in renowned IP journals and publications such as IPM, LSIPR, IP Watch, SCRIPTED etc. He has also proposed advisory to the DIPP on feasibility of “Utility Model” in India.
The Future of Ramie
It is the innate qualities and character of the future fibre that will decide the next steps of development. We shall research a new non-polluting process in view to enhance the future material and give it a structure that allows it to be processed leaving the smallest carbon footprint possible, if at all. This also means searching for new possibilities of moulding fabrics out of a pulp, or tempting an organic cold 3D Printing procedure that would yet need to be invented. In the ideal case this new industry will not have any negative environmental impact.
To insure a carbon neutral outcome here are the points we shall be following:
– The region in which we shall be envisaging this farming is in Carbon-neutral Meghalaya
– The plant has been chosen for its strength and resistance characteristics without need of fertilizers
– The more than abundant annual rainfall will ask for smart irrigation systems to be developed
– The fibre development which will be undertaken on the Ramie plant to prevent post harvest pollution
– The post harvest degumming treatment is envisaged organically
– The future fibre processing industry needs to be environment friendly and will demand clean industrial
mechanical
Meghalaya: Basic Facts
- Between 25° 1’ and 26° 5’ N and 85° 49’ and 92° 52’ E.
- Area = 22,429 sq km
- Altitude = 150 mts to 1961 mts MSL
- Temperature range = 2 to 36 degrees Celsius.
- Rainfall = 12,000 mm annual average.
- Population = 3.53 million (2018 estimated)
- No. of districts = 11
- Total cropped area = 3,43,431 Hectares or 15.31% of the total geographical area (22.42 lakh Ha)
- Operational land holding – 82.57% < 2 Ha
- 80 % dependant on Agriculture
- 68.73% population below the age of 30.
Meghalaya: usp
- Strong Organic tradition
- Salubrious climate
- Fertile soil
- Water
- Three major agro climatic zones
- Off season production
- Diversity of Culture
- Strong social support system
- Grass root democratic institutions
- NRM tradition
- Vibrant SHGs, VECs
The Future of Ramie and its Farming
The first and most important part of this project will be the fiber development/gene editing process. The parallel Tilling will be producing constant reports to pick the best plants and create new generations. We envisage constant field testing that shall progressively grow into pre-industrial fiber trials.
To date there are 478.10 hectares of area only for Plantation of Ramie, as initiated by the Agriculture Department of Meghalaya.
- West Garo Hills: 151 Ramie growers 122.75 Ha (Area of Production)
- South Garo Hills: 175 Ramie Growers 112 Ha (Area of Production)
- South West Garo Hills: 135 Ramie Grawer 141.35 Ha ( Area of Production)
- North Garo Hills: 128 Ramie Grower 102 Ha ( Area of Production)
A note from Bryan Marak, an entrepreneur having dealt with Ramie and the farmers.
It may be noted that since there were no buyers from 2016 till 2018 the ramie growers have lost faith in it’s cultivation. Year 2019 we purchased the stem to regain their confidence in Ramie. We purchased what was left from the production. Year 2020 because of Covid no purchase was done and their faith deteriorated again. The only way to excel in Ramie we have to win their faith and confidence in us. The farmers only need a buyer to buy what they have harvested. Right now 1kg stem is being bought at the rate of Rs. 6/- kg. which is high. but to win their confidence it had to be done. More the production the better it will be. Once they know there is a buyer they’ll definitely will start producing it again.
Will be visiting all Ramie Growers to boost their confidence as well as for area expansion. Once they know there is a buyer they’ll definitely will start producing it again.
As per crop cutting experiment of Ramie crop in farmers field
- fiber production from 80 kg green stem= 5 kg dry fiber in 25 sq
- 1kg dry fiber in 25 sq =16 kg green stem.
- In 1 ha = 6400 kg green stem of ramie
- In 147 Ha = 6400 x 147 = 99,40,800 kg green stem
- Green Stem 9,40,800 kg x 4 times harvesting = 37,63,200 kg green stem
Total area under ramie crop = 147 Ha in West Garo Hills
- Average yield of dry ramie = 15 quintal in 1 Ha
- Dry ramie yield = 1500 kg x 4 times harvest = 6000 kg in 1 year
- In 147 Ha = 6400 x 147 Ha = 9,40,800 kg
- Total 147 Ha area = 6000 x 147 Ha = 8,82,000 kg
West Garo Hills : 859.25 (Qtls)
South Garo Hills: 784 ( Otls)
South West Garo Hills: 989.45 (Qtls)
North Garo Hills: 714 (Otls)
Closing Words
It has been five years since I first heard about the Ramie fibre growing freely in Meghalaya, and the general opinion is that it is a shame there seems to be no market for this cloth, even if it is sparsely used for certain items of traditional Indian clothing and also by a few Designers; this small produce is however chemically degummed. Fact is that Ramie, like many other organic fabrics, i.e. Hemp, Nettle and many others, were by-passed by cotton at a time when chemical and synthetic processing were not questioned.
It is high time to respond to the world’s demand of organic, natural fibres, making them into what the world wants to wear without harming the environment. This Ramie Project is an obvious step forward in proposing to use this existing thriving fibre literally going waste.
Hemant Sagar
