Glandless Cotton: A Promising Possibility

High levels of gossypol, a natural toxin in most cotton varieties, make all of the plant's tissue, including the seeds, inedible by humans and most animals. Scientists at New Mexico State University (NMSU) are working to determine if a variety of cotton called Alcala which is free of the toxin gossypol, will grow well and be productive in New Mexico. Seeds from gossypol-free cotton can be used in food products for humans and in feed for a wide variety of animals.

Developing glandless cotton for food and feed applications is not new having been done previously in Africa and China in the 1990s. However, it was not economically feasible.

"This is the second year of our study. Last year we tested it, and we saw that we were able to get reasonable, significant lint yield and seed yield from the glandless cotton. So far it's looking good, we have not had any major pest attack on the crops. The cotton at this stage is looking better than even last year so we are expecting a higher yield this year," said John Idowu, extension agronomist in the Department of Extension Plant Sciences.

Check out http://newscenter.nmsu.edu/news/article/7995/ for the original article.