Cotton pickers were hard at work this week at the Australian Cotton Research Institute.
Dr Warwick Stiller, who leads CSIRO’s Cotton Breeding program, said that pickers were hand harvesting the crop pictured with this article because at this early stage of breeding each cotton plant in the field “is genetically unique”.
“So in eight to ten years’ time, the new varieties that the industry will be growing will have originated from just one of those 25,000 plants being harvested today.”
Dr Stiller said after picking, the cotton from each individual plant will be individually ginned and fibre tested at the laboratory and then seed from the selected plants, planted again next year.
“Our research and breeding objectives are about achieving a higher yield, better disease resistance, better fibre quality and better water efficiency,” said Dr Stiller.
The cotton pickers remained socially distanced while working in the cotton field and were pleased to be working in an industry that’s able to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide valuable research to farmers who help to feed and clothe the world.
To order photos from this page click here
