Nart TuntawiroonPoonsab SamootsakornGritsanaruck TheerarajFaculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University2018-10-122018-10-121984-01-01Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. Vol.11, No.3 (1984), 203-212016788092-s2.0-0021618512https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/30558An investigation was made to determine the feasibility of using the fiber of Rux (Calotropis gigantea), a common wild plant in Thailand, to make textile fabric. It was found that a mixture of Rux with cotton, as well as a mixture of Rux with synthetic fibers such as rayon or polyester, could be used to make textile fabrics of reasonable quality. As Rux is a weed growing everywhere without requirements for fertilizers and pesticides, the adoption of Rux as a source of fiber for the textile industry could bring large areas of presently unused marginal land under cultivation and might reduce the energy input to farming. Such a development could lead to a higher net income for farmers, as well as creating a new cottage industry to provide another source of income for the rural people of the third world. © 1984.Mahidol UniversityAgricultural and Biological SciencesEnvironmental ScienceArticleSCOPUS10.1016/0167-8809(84)90030-6