THE Cotton Crop Research and Technology Development Farm (Lun Kyaw) in Kyaukse Township, Mandalay Region, is conducting cross-breeding research between Uzbek’s cotton varieties and local varieties to develop new cotton varieties with higher yields and better quality than the currently cultivated Shwetaung-8 and Shwetaung-10 varieties.
The cross-breeding programme began in the pre-monsoon season of 2023-2024, and the new cotton varieties are expected to be distributed to farmers for commercial cultivation within the next two years.
In the breeding process, Uzbek cotton varieties with advantages such as large bolls, high ginning percentage, longer cotton fibres, strong upright growth and suitability for close planting are being used as parent varieties. However, as these varieties have low resistance to bollworms and sucking pests, they are being crossbred with local varieties, including Shwetaung-10 and Ngwechi-6, which are more resistant to these pests.
The newly developed cotton varieties and their parent varieties will be tested and demonstrated in comparative field trials. The new varieties will be distributed only after farmers have seen and accepted through practical experience that they perform better than the parent varieties. The Cotton Crop Research and Technology Development Farm (Lun Kyaw) continues to carry out cotton breeding and research activities to develop high-quality varieties superior to local ones and improve the livelihoods of cotton farmers. — ASH/ KNN