A major cotton-growing breakthrough has made China the first
country in the world to commercialize a cotton strain that is
resistant to bollworms and is expected to increase output by 25
percent.
The cotton strain was pioneered by scientist Guo Sandui and his
team at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. The
breakthrough won wide acclaim from officials and experts.
Vice-Minister of Agriculture Fan Xiaojian and a group of
government officials and experts inspected Guo's experimental base
in Beijing's Pinggu District on Saturday.
Building on his success of insect-resistant, genetically
modified cotton, of which 2.3 million hectares worth were planted
this year, Guo's research team started to work out a molecular
breeding system for hybrid cotton in 1999.
After years of hard work, Guo, "the father of Chinese Bt
transgenetic cotton," was able to have his "Yinmian 2" cotton
strain approved by the National Crop Cultivar Assessment Committee,
which gave the go-ahead for its commercialization, according to the
Ministry of Agriculture.
The "three-line hybrid cotton with insect-resistant gene," if
planted on the 3.33 million hectares of land where it is fit to
grow, will theoretically increase output by 1 million tons each
year.
That amounts to what conventional strains might be able to yield
on 666,600 hectares, which is equivalent to all the cotton fields
in the Yangtze River Delta, a major cotton producing area, Fan
said.
The "three lines" refer to the male-sterile, maintenance and
restorer lines in cotton breeding.
Through genetic engineering and conventional breeding, Chinese
scientists have manipulated these lines to ensure a hybrid cotton
strain that maintains and multiples hybrid heterosis, leading to
high quality and high yields, said Zhang Rui, one of Guo's
aides.
In addition, the strain's insect resistance efficiency is more
than 90 percent, Zhang added.
Guo's "Yinmian 2" and other strains in the pipeline will enable
China to use less acreage to reach its cotton production goals,
leaving more cropland for grain production, Fan said.
The United States began "three-line hybrid cotton" research in
1948, but has failed to find a solution to ensure a desirably high
yield of hybrid cotton, let alone a hybrid resistant to pests.
Other major cotton growers, such as India, develop hybrid cotton
through laborious and inefficient manual breeding methods,
according to Guo.
Yuan Longping, the "father of hybrid rice", said that he had
visited both the US and India to see their hybrid cotton breeding
programs in the 1980s and 90s.
"I believe China's 'three-line hybrid cotton with
insect-resistant gene' is really a world breakthrough," Yuan told
China Daily. "Even in its initial stage, it can boost cotton
production by 25 percent. This is a great feat."
Yuan also urged the ministries of agriculture, science and
technology as well as the National Development and Reform
Commission to shore up investment and spread the technology
nationwide to benefit farmers.
On the potential environmental side effects of genetically
engineered crops, Luo Bin, an official with the ministry, said only
genetically modified strains assessed as safe are granted
certificates for commercialization.
However, monitoring should continue after a new crop is
certified and spread to large areas of land, he said.
Fan said his ministry will work to translate the "encouraging
technology" into productivity as soon as possible.
He noted domestic demand for cotton has been on the rise in
recent years, while imports keep flooding in.
Last year, market demand for cotton grew by 1.5 million tons,
hitting 8.75 million tons. Imports surged to a record 1.98 million
tons, he said.
(China Daily September 19, 2005)