Page 50 - New Cloth Market December 2022 Digital Edition

Indian Scenario of Cotton Hybrid Technology, Reseach Projects & Recommendations

cloth demand from past to future pro-
jections. As of now, the per capita cloth
availability is 34 square meter and the
demand is expected to be 47 square
meter per capita. For catering the need
of per capita cloth demand, HDPS con-
cept would be appropriate. Current
HDPS criteria of 6 bolls per plant, 4
gram of boll weight and 35% GOT is
producing the lint yield of 750 kg lint
per hectare and it has to be improved
to 8 bolls per plant, 4 gram of boll
weight and 38% GOT for producing
1380 kg lint per hectare to attain the
goal of 1380 kg lint per hectare in 2050.
This goal could be achieved by com-
bined use of HDPS, Bt varieties and Tribute to Dr C T Patel, worlds first hybrid cotton H4 Developer by Dr T R
mechanization. Sharma, DDG (CS)
vest. Incorporation of multiple traits will eases like pink bollworm and boll rot.
The Third Session titled “Future Tech-
help the farmers to overcome the weed He pointed out that 5.2 m ha of cotton
nologies in Cotton” and “Cotton
problems in later stage of the crop and area, spreading across 62 districts of
Technology Innovations” was chaired
also cost effective as compare to man- nine states in our country is having low
by Dr. T. P. Rajendran, Former ADG
ual weeding. Development of sucking cotton productivity (236 kg/ha) and an-
(PP), ICAR, New Delhi and co-chaired
pest (thrips and mirid bug) tolerant Bt other 5.2 m ha of cotton area is having
by Dr. Siwach, Former Director of Re-
cotton is in pipeline in USA and soon medium productivity (340-510 kg/ha).
search, CCSHAU, Hisar. Dr. R. Raja,
it is going to be launched. Bollguard He opined that high density planting
Principal Scientist and Dr. K. Shankar-
IV cotton with resistance to all lepi- system with precise agronomic inter-
ganesh, Senior Scientist, ICAR-CICR,
dopteron pests of cotton including pink ventions (Precision in plant to plant
Regional Station, Coimbatore acted as
bollworm is under development and 5th spacing, uniform depth of planting with
rapporteurs of the session.
generation product will have both in- more than 90% germination, early and
During his opening remarks, the chair- sect and herbicide (Glyphosate, Di- uniform plant vigor, plant population of
man praised the involvement of erst- camba) tolerance. He informed that for 25,000 at harvest) coupled with plant
while cotton breeders and their hard high density planting, Bayer has de- growth regulator application for cano-
work culminating in to the concept of veloped a short stature hybrid which py management will improve the pro-
hybrid vigour. He pointed out that ini- can with stand heavy wind without any ductivity in these areas and this com-
tially there were no hybrids identified lodging. Bayer is also working on com- bined with appropriate defoliant appli-
for northern region, but later on through bining artificial intelligence, weather cation will also enable mechanical har-
technological intervention and different data and other machine learning ap- vesting. He also flagged the research
workshops, suitable hybrids were iden- proaches for optimizing plant density need in the area of plant growth regu-
tified for northern region. He urged the for achieving higher productivity. lators dosage and spray timing in dif-
present day cotton breeders to focus ferent areas and need for new mole-
on improving the yield potential as well Dr. R.S. Sureshkumar, Rasi Seeds cules for defoliation purpose. He elab-
as fibre quality using the new technol- presented the Rasi Max approach for orated the Rasi Max approach involv-
ogies/futuristic thoughts and innova- Breaking the Plateau with Advanced ing i) right geography, ii) precision plant-
tions. Agronomy. He pointed out that intro- ing, iii) agile crop management & can-
duction of Bt Cotton Technology in ear- opy management and iv) manual pick-
Dr. Suresh P.J. from Bayer Crop Sci- ly 2000s improved the cotton produc- ing/ machine picking with defoliant
ences virtually presented the initiatives tivity upto 530 kg/ha. However, in re- application. For achieving higher cot-
of Bayer on new cotton production cent times, there is stagnation in cot- ton productivity, he enlisted the key
technologies like Bollguard II X Round- ton productivity mainly due to lack of responsibilities of different stakehold-
up Ready Flex (BG II RRF) Cotton. new germplasm material for develop- ers viz., Seed companies (developing
While the first-generation technology ing new hybrids and very minimal ag- hybrids amenable for HDPS and edu-
had a limitation of giving protection only ronomic interventions by farmers, high- cating agronomy to farmers), Farm
up to 30 days, the second-generation er labour dependency and dearth of equipment manufacturers (developing
technology gives protection upto har- labour and the problem of pest and dis- cost effective planters & harvesters

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