PAU unveils virus-resistant cotton breeding lines

Ludhiana, August 3
Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, has successfully developed virus-resistant breeding lines against Cotton Leaf Curl Disease (CLCuD) in American cotton by utilising Gossypium armourianum, a wild cotton.
Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, vice-chancellor, emphasised that cultivating this variety could ensure high and stable cotton production.
Dr Gosal added that CLCuD was the most severe disease affecting American cotton in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and even Pakistan. The disease has also been reported in China.
Citing data from the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), Dr Ajmer Singh Dhatt, Director of Research, said that India, Pakistan and China produced nearly half (49 per cent) of the world’s cotton. Of the estimated 24.19 million cotton farmers globally, around 85 per cent (20.44 million) resided in these three nations. Therefore, managing CLCuD was crucial for the sustainability of cotton production both in Asia and worldwide, Dr Dhatt added.
Dr VS Sohu, head, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, highlighted the economic impact of this whitefly-transmitted virus complex. He cited economic losses of around USD 5 billion in Pakistan from 1992 to 1997 and a 40 per cent reduction in cotton yield in India.
Dr Pankaj Rathore, Principal Cotton Breeder and former Director of PAU’s Regional Research Station in Faridkot, said the disease began with the thickening of small veins on young leaves, leading to a continuous network of small veins. Other symptoms include the upward or downward curling of leaves, and in severe cases, the formation of cup-shaped outgrowths on the underside of leaves, resulting in stunted plants with fewer bolls.
He stressed that developing CLCuD-tolerant cotton varieties was the only viable option for managing the disease. Although several tolerant varieties have been developed in the past, new viral strains have rendered all existing varieties susceptible. — TNS

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