US to help Pakistan rid deadly cotton virus
STAFF REPORT ISLAMABAD: In order to combat a deadly cotton crop virus that has resulted in a reduction of one-fifth in production of cotton, Pakistan and the United States have launched a multi-million dollar ambitious research initiative.
“The two-tier cotton enhancement programme has been designed to develop cotton leaf curl virus (CLCV) resistant varieties of the crop in order to increase production by combating the virus,” said Dr Brian Scheffler of US Department of Agriculture after entering the agreement here during his visit to Pakistan.
The $9 million, three-year project, will also focus on building the capacity of agencies managing the biotech cotton framework and facilitate the implementation of seed laws.
Under this agreement, Pakistani scientists will work in consultation with US scientists and a team of four US experts will work through 2012 to find ways on how to cope with the problem, he said.
Pakistan is combating CLCV, a disease that attacks the leaves of the crop, for the last two decades and failure to find a solution has resulted in 20 per cent less production. This disease is very common in India, Pakistan and China.
“The two-tier cotton enhancement programme has been designed to develop cotton leaf curl virus (CLCV) resistant varieties of the crop in order to increase production by combating the virus,” said Dr Brian Scheffler of US Department of Agriculture after entering the agreement here during his visit to Pakistan.
The $9 million, three-year project, will also focus on building the capacity of agencies managing the biotech cotton framework and facilitate the implementation of seed laws.
Under this agreement, Pakistani scientists will work in consultation with US scientists and a team of four US experts will work through 2012 to find ways on how to cope with the problem, he said.
Pakistan is combating CLCV, a disease that attacks the leaves of the crop, for the last two decades and failure to find a solution has resulted in 20 per cent less production. This disease is very common in India, Pakistan and China.
In Pakistan, cotton and cotton products constitute a tenth of the gross domestic product of the country and as much as 55 per cent of foreign exchange is earned through these exports.
Experts said that the CLCV is especially bad in Pakistan and the problem is that the virus is constantly changing and researchers yet failed to ascertain the reasons of this change.
“In its present form, the virus is very aggressive towards cotton and has a big impact on productivity,” they added.
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