The sixth Round Trial conducted under the auspices of the Task Force on Commercial Standardization of Instrument Testing of Cotton (CSITC RT 2008-1) was conducted during May and June 2008. 63 testing facilities with 85 instruments participated. Participating testing centers were located in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.
In each Round Trial, five cotton samples with known values are mailed to each participating laboratory. Each laboratory tests each sample six times each day for five days, for a total of 150 tests. Each sample is tested for the six CSITC parameters of length, length uniformity index, micronaire, strength, Rd (reflectance) and +b (yellowness).
Accordingly, 900 separate test results (150 tests of 6 parameters) from each instrument are evaluated. In the sixth Round Trial, all five of the samples were from upland saw ginned cotton.
CSITC Round Trials have a unique purpose in the world cotton industry. Round Trials conducted by the Bremen Fiber Institute are intended to evaluate the accuracy of different kinds of testing instruments. USDA Check Tests provide information to participants on the consistency of test results compared to USDA established values.
CSITC Round Trials facilitate improved test center performance by facilitating standardization of results from test centers around the world, and the large number of tests performed over five days makes detailed diagnostic analysis possible. The Bremen, USDA and CSITC Round Trials are complementary.
Laboratory results for each Round Trial are collected by USDA and forwarded to the Bremen Fibre Institute for evaluation. Laboratories are given an overall ranking, as well as rankings for performance on each of the six parameters. Rankings are based on the first four upland cotton samples with known values.
The purpose of the fifth cotton sample in all CSITC Round Trials is for special study purposes and is not used for performance-ranking. Results for each test center are confidential, but each testing facility received an evaluation of its performance in the Round Trial and a detailed diagnostic analysis of results.
Rankings are based on the results of each lab in coming closest to the mean (average) values for all laboratories participating in the Round Trial on all six measurements. The range of scores for the combined properties among the 85 instruments was 0.21 to 4.49 (a score of zero would be perfect), and the median overall evaluation of combined properties was 0.45.
The results in CSITC RT 2008-2 are consistent with the results from the first five Round Trials conducted in 2007 and early 2008. However, the median Combined Properties Score in 2008-2 was lower than the median score from 2008-1, which was 0.51.
10th CSITC Meeting - The Task Force on CSITC will meet on Sunday, November 16, 2008 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in conjunction with the 67th Plenary Meeting of the International Cotton Advisory Committee. The Task Force consists of 18 members representing all segments of the world cotton industry.
In each Round Trial, five cotton samples with known values are mailed to each participating laboratory. Each laboratory tests each sample six times each day for five days, for a total of 150 tests. Each sample is tested for the six CSITC parameters of length, length uniformity index, micronaire, strength, Rd (reflectance) and +b (yellowness).
Accordingly, 900 separate test results (150 tests of 6 parameters) from each instrument are evaluated. In the sixth Round Trial, all five of the samples were from upland saw ginned cotton.
CSITC Round Trials have a unique purpose in the world cotton industry. Round Trials conducted by the Bremen Fiber Institute are intended to evaluate the accuracy of different kinds of testing instruments. USDA Check Tests provide information to participants on the consistency of test results compared to USDA established values.
CSITC Round Trials facilitate improved test center performance by facilitating standardization of results from test centers around the world, and the large number of tests performed over five days makes detailed diagnostic analysis possible. The Bremen, USDA and CSITC Round Trials are complementary.
Laboratory results for each Round Trial are collected by USDA and forwarded to the Bremen Fibre Institute for evaluation. Laboratories are given an overall ranking, as well as rankings for performance on each of the six parameters. Rankings are based on the first four upland cotton samples with known values.
The purpose of the fifth cotton sample in all CSITC Round Trials is for special study purposes and is not used for performance-ranking. Results for each test center are confidential, but each testing facility received an evaluation of its performance in the Round Trial and a detailed diagnostic analysis of results.
Rankings are based on the results of each lab in coming closest to the mean (average) values for all laboratories participating in the Round Trial on all six measurements. The range of scores for the combined properties among the 85 instruments was 0.21 to 4.49 (a score of zero would be perfect), and the median overall evaluation of combined properties was 0.45.
The results in CSITC RT 2008-2 are consistent with the results from the first five Round Trials conducted in 2007 and early 2008. However, the median Combined Properties Score in 2008-2 was lower than the median score from 2008-1, which was 0.51.
10th CSITC Meeting - The Task Force on CSITC will meet on Sunday, November 16, 2008 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in conjunction with the 67th Plenary Meeting of the International Cotton Advisory Committee. The Task Force consists of 18 members representing all segments of the world cotton industry.
