Seven Climate-Smart CCRI Cotton Varieties Recommended For Approval -

Expert Sub-Committee Of Punjab Seed Council (PSC) Recommended Seven Climate-Smart Cotton Varieties Of Central Cotton Research Institute.

The Expert Sub-Committee Of Punjab Seed Council (PSC) Has Recommended The Seven Climate-Smart Cotton Varieties Of Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI) Multan For Final Approval. The final approval held at at Ayub Agriculture Research Institute (AARI) Faisalabad last Monday and the Expert Sub-Committee in its meeting discussed about 58 cotton varieties from public and private sector research bodies.

Seven varieties of CCRI Multan won recommendations including 06 of them carrying Bt gene, the highest number of varieties from any research body, according to official release issued by CCRI Multan spokesman on Tuesday. The Bt varieties that won recommendation included CIM-678, CIM-785, CIM-775, Cyto-535, Cyto-511 and Cyto-533 besides a non-Bt variety Cyto-226. Bt variety Cyto-533 was recommended for commercial sowing at Bahawalpur and Sahiwal divisions.

CCRI Multan director Dr. Zahid Mahmood presented the case of 07 cotton varieties before the PSC’s expert sub committee meeting chaired by Director General agriculture research Dr. Zafar Iqbal Qureshi. Scientific officer from breeding section of CCRI Multan Dr. Muhammad Akbar and head of transfer of technology Sajid Mahmood, breeders from public and private sector and members of Expert Sub-Committee were among the attendance.

Dr. Zahid said that CCRI Multan had the largest breeding programme all over the country with capability to confront all challenges of domestic cotton. He said that the varieties recommended were climate smart, high yielding and had resistance against diseases. These varieties can survive amid very hot weather conditions and produce better yield during shortage of water availability and their production potential was 50 Maunds per acre.

Dr. Zahid added that CCRI Multan scientists were working on new varieties employing advanced level technology to bring improvement and take the above mentioned qualities of the new upcoming varieties to new highs. Meanwhile, Vice president, Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC) Dr. Muhammad Ali Talpur, Punjab secretary agriculture Saqib Ali Ateel, cotton Commissioner Dr. Khalid Abdullah, Chairman, Cotton Rresearch and Development board, Bilal Israel besides other officials of PCCC congratulated CCRI Multan scientists on their achievement.

This news was originally published at Urdu Point.