Observer Report
Beijing
The cooperation between China and Pakistan in the collection and identification of cotton germplasm resources is of great pith and moment,” said Prof. Du Xiongming, Director of Cotton Germplasm Resources Division, Institute of Cotton Research (ICR) of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS).
“For now the two countries have exchanged over 300 cotton germplasm resources, China Economic Net reported on Tuesday quoting Dr. Du.
As per Prof. Du, China and Pakistan have been co-working for many years in the field of collecting and identifying cotton germplasm resources.
ICR has joined hands with Cotton Research Institute (CCRI), Multan, University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) and some other universities and scientific research institutions to identify cotton germplasms’ resistance to heat, drought, diseases and insect pests in different places and environments, and jointly published scientific research papers on that.
In addition, through the Industry-University-Research (IUR) cooperation, ICR has been devoted to the training of talented Pakistanis in the field of basic cotton research.
Prof. Du’s laboratory has trained 11 Pakistani doctoral students (including 5 graduates), 2 postdocs and 2 visiting scholars so far.
Cotton germplasm resources are the material basis of basic and applied research of cotton. “Pakistan’s Asiatic Cotton (G. arboreum) is different from China’s Gossypium hirsutum Linn in term terms of genetic characteristics.
China’s cotton is known for its high yield, high quality and precocity, while Pakistan’s cotton is famous for its resistance to heat, drought, saline-alkali and Cotton Leaf Curl Virus (CLCV),” noted Prof. Du, who received China’s National Award for Excellence in Innovation in May. He is of the view that the cooperation between China and Pakistan in the collection and identification of cotton germplasm resources is of great pith and moment.
