Pakistan's efforts to combat CLCV impress US scientists

11 Apr '13

2 min read

Pakistani cotton scientists’ efforts to combat the dreadful Cotton Leaf Curl Virus (CLCV) damaging cotton yield in the country, has impressed a delegation of US cotton scientists visiting Pakistan.

The delegation of US scientists visited Pakistan in order to help Pakistani cotton scientists to review the success of the existing models and develop new strategies for countering the CLCV, which damaged around 1.5 million bales of cotton, i.e. about 15 percent of Pakistan’s total cotton output for this season.

The delegation, which visited labs in Faisalabad and Lahore, took a look at the disease-resistant cotton varieties developed in greenhouses provided by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

USDA Lead Scientist in Cotton Production Enhancement Programme (CPEP), Dr. Scheffler was amazed to see the progress that scientists at the University of Punjab Institute for Agricultural Sciences, the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARC), the Central Cotton Institute in Multan and Sakarand and other institutes have made on this front.

He said his Pakistani counterparts are meticulously testing thousands of samples of cotton germ plasm to discover a CLCV resistant cotton seed variety with high-yielding capacity. He commended them for making good progress in their efforts to counter the dreadful virus.

Alongside scientists, Pakistani farmers too continue to receive help from the USDA for boosting their agricultural productivity and improve their living conditions.

Collaboration between the scientists of the two nations on cotton, well exemplifies the efforts that the US employs to help the Pakistani cotton sector and those associated with it.

The recent visit formed a part of US’s multi-year deal with Pakistan for evolving a CLCV resistant cotton seed variety.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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