New Cotton Varieties Developed by CSIRO

CSIRO has been developing cotton varieties with improved disease resistance which effectively combat Bacterial Blight and Verticillum Wilt. Varieties resistant to Cotton Bunchy Top are now being developed, and a watching brief is maintained on other diseases like Alternaria.

With the aid of gene technology, CSIRO has been successful in breeding genetically modified (GM) insect resistant and herbicide resistant cotton varieties using traits from Monsanto. Gene technology will be used to speed up the screening and development of new conventional and transgenic varieties.

With conventional breeding, CSIRO has substantially improved cotton yield and fiber quality. Fiber quality, particularly strength, length and 'micronaire' (a measure of fineness and maturity), is critical in maximizing returns to growers and accessing premium markets. CSIRO’s cotton breeding research has increased cotton fiber strength by 20 per cent, and cotton fiber length by about five per cent, enabling the Australian cotton to compete in the higher quality end of the world export market.

Read the article at http://www.csiro.au/science/ps8b.html.