Handbook Of Cotton (ePub)

During the last sixty years or so the field of Cotton research and production technology has reached new horizons especially in the areas of Cotton Improvement and Plant Protection through newer and more efficient technologies. Improvement in Cotton has provided more convincing evidence and definite use of biotechnology in India which has resulted in increasing the production and is next only to China in production. Dr. G.K. Koutu has been engaged in research with special emphasis on generating material that has been widely used across the country to develop high yielding varieties and hybrids with very high yields and excellent fiber properties. Dr. P.P. Shastry is known across the country for his pioneering work on New Wilt of Cotton. Dr. D.K. Mishra, Professor & Head Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics, JNKVV, Jabalpur has a distinguished academic record. He has been engaged in research and teaching. Dr. K.C. Mandloi has been one of the stalwart cotton breeders of the country. The first naturally colored cotton variety in the G. hirsute category in India is an unpatrolled contribution in the field of eco friendly production of cotton in the country. This publication is a compilation of almost all the developments in cotton production technology in India. Chapters II and III have been devoted for crop improvement covering development of intra-hirsute hybrids and straight varieties both in G.hirsutum and G.arboreum categories. The IVth chapters deals with the cultivation practices and the technologies evolved in the field of production technology. The Vth chapter covers seed production technology. Two chapters have been exclusively devoted for transgenic cotton and issues related with biosafety of transgenic cotton. Since New Wilt has been one of the biggest constraints in hybrid cotton cultivation, one chapter deals with this problem in sufficient detail. Organic cotton cultivation is gaining a strong foothold in the country and therefore it was felt necessary to deal this subject separately. Similarly, naturally colored cotton has been dealt in a separate chapter. During the last decade, fiber quality has become the main focus both for cotton breeders and exporters as well. This aspect along with bye-product utilization has been focused in the XI and XIIth chapter.