Restoring the black colour of alpaca fiber

The objectives were: a) to evaluate the influence of environmental effects on colorimetry, b) to analyze Huacaya/Suri segregation in black alpacas, c) to analyze black color segregation in alpaca population, d) to evaluate progress in the search for intense black, e) to analyze fiber diameter (FD) and fleece weight (GFW) in black alpacas, and f) to estimate the genetic parameters of colorimetry and their correlation with textile traits. A total of 11,663 colorimetric records under the CIELAB space with axes for lightness (L*), red–green (a*), and yellow–blue (b*) were analyzed. There was a significant effect of the coat color group and year on colorimetry. There is very little mating of Suri parents with Huacaya offspring (14% to 6%) and Huacaya parents with Suri offspring (5% to 0%). Black alpacas can be born mainly from reddish black (41.18%) and from full black (71%). CIELAB values have been reduced in the search for intense black. The yield of a black alpaca is 700 g less compared to a white alpaca. The heritabilities of colorimetry traits for black alpaca were very low for CIELAB values (0.01 to 0.04), and significant correlations were found between FD-L* (-0.55), FD-a* (-0.99), FD-b* (-0.94), and GFW-L* (0.31). Black alpacas offer a commercial opportunity that can be exploited for the benefit of their conservation. Selection could be based on colorimetry as a selection criterion, especially L* and b* values.