Australia
March 10, 2017
As part of Cotton Seed Distributors’ commitment to investing in research through the Cotton Breeding Australia joint venture with CSIRO, Dr Carlos Trapero and Dr Warwick Stiller from CSIRO have been researching cotton’s natural resistance (also referred to as host plant resistance, or HPR) to Silverleaf whitefly and spider mites, in order to better understand the mechanisms that provide this resistance.
The project is now in its eighth year, with CSIRO reporting excellent progress in identifying non-transgenic insect tolerance in diploid cotton. Part of the challenge in this research is to being able to reliably identify the diploid lines containing the resistance genes, and ensuring that they are heritable in crosses to lines with elite quality and yield potential. Current trial yields are not yet on par with commercial varieties, however the research is providing the industry with an option, should a problem with chemical control arise.
With further research into secondary pest resistance, it is hoped that these traits can be included in elite varieties for Australian growers within an 8 to 10 year timeframe.
CSD and CSIRO also have the first lines of Cotton Bunchy Top resistant varieties under commercial evaluation at CSD Farms, with the first output from this technology expected to be released in the 2018/19 season. Similar host plant resistance research into Black root rot, Verticillium wilt and Fusarium wilt is also under development.
Since the Cotton Breeding Australia joint venture was launched in 2007, both CSD and CSIRO have equally invested approximately $60m towards the research and breeding of future cotton varieties for Australia. By 2024 this equally shared investment is projected to total in excess of $141m. Research activities are overseen by a Management Committee of CSD and CSIRO staff, and through a Scientific Committee of CSD, CSIRO and CRDC staff, as well as Cotton Australia appointed grower representatives.
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