KARACHI: Researchers at the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi (UoK) have successfully cultivated multiple generations of cotton in Karachi with low energy costs in a year.
This is the first time Organic Cotton has been grown in Karachi, and this experimental production can be expanded with the support of the federal and provincial governments in Sindh and Balochistan.
ICCBS research team, working under the supervision of Dr. Shahid Mansoor, at the Biotechnology Wing of the HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry was able to grow multiple generations of cotton in Karachi with low energy costs.
In addition, the ICCBS research team has not found any evidence of cotton leaf curl disease or major cotton pests in the product. The rapid genetic gain in cotton requires that cotton breeding is fast-tracked by growing multiple generations in a year.
The ICCBS research team is using this facility to purify non-GMO varieties required for organic cotton production. The research team also intends to use this facility to use genome editing tools for the improvement of cotton yield, and resistance to environmental stresses and to improve cotton fiber as per the requirement of the textile industry.