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Vibha Agrotech Ltd. launches its first Bt-cotton hybrid series

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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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