Hyderabad, India
June 13, 2007
Vibha Agrotech Ltd., one
of the fast growing crop genetics and hybrid seed companies in
India, based in Hyderabad releases its first Bt-cotton hybrid
series for commercial cultivation. Vibha's R&D team is striving
continuously for delivering superior fine fiber quality cotton,
and is breeding for resistance to viruses, lodging and NPT
characters for mechanised farming and high density planting.
Vibha group has spread out its multi-location testing centers
throughout the length and breadth of the country keeping in view
the ever changing market scenario. Vibha has one of the largest
cotton breeding programmes with 36 eminent scientists working in
R&D. The company has well structured breeding programmes to
develop products suited to different agro-climatic zones by
carrying out research at different R&D centers viz. Hyderabad
and Warangal (Andhra Pradesh) for high input situations,
Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) as offseason nursery in the South Zone
close to the equator, Yavatmal (Maharashtra) for rain fed
situation representing Central Zone: Rajkot (Gujarat)
representing Western Zone and Fazilka (Punjab) representing
Northern Zone requiring early and virus resistant hybrids.
The adoption of Bt-cotton has created history in cotton growing
areas, the estimated acreage of Bt cotton in the current year is
140-150 lakh acres, a jump of 91 lakh acres as compared to 2006,
and has been widely accepted by the farming community. The
hybrids released by Vibha Seeds will benefit the farming
community of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat,
Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) decision
included clearing of 57 new Bt cotton hybrids for commercial
release, of which nine are from Vibha Seeds:
- two hybrids for North
Zone: Sigma Bt and O'le Bt (Cot 33),
- four hybrids for Central
Zone: Dyna Bt, Sigma Bt, Hero Bt and Grace Bt, and
- three hybrids for South
Zone: Sigma Bt, Dyna Bt and O'le Bt (Cot 33).
These hybrids were found to be
superior not only in yield but also fiber qualities like
strength and length, adaptable to different cotton growing
ecologies.
Among the five hybrids mentioned:
Dyna Bt has
better fiber quality preferred by textile industry. It
is tolerant to sucking pests and disease with boll size
of 6.0 to 6.5 g. This hybrid is recommended for Gujarat,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka
and Tamil Nadu.
Sigma Bt is
tolerant to leaf curl virus, sucking pests and major
diseases, and is suitable for Punjab, Haryana,
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra Madhya Pradesh, Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu. It has a boll size of
5.0 g.
O'le Bt (Cot 33)
is tolerant to leaf curl virus and is best suited for
rainfed and irrigated ecologies and for rice fallow
cropping systems of Tamil Nadu coupled with drought
tolerance, with a boll size of 5.0 g. This hybrid is
recommended for Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Grace Bt has
high yield potential with boll size of 5.0 – 5.5 g. This
is recommended for Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya
Pradesh.
Hero Bt is a
fine fiber hybrid with boll size of 5.0 – 5.5 g coupled
with uniform boll bursting quality. This breakthrough
will provide boost to the textile industry of the
country.
Vibha Seeds is one among the
licensed users of Bollgard technology ( Cry 1Ac, Mon 531 event)
of Mahyco-Monsanto Biotech (I) Ltd. |
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