THREE STEPS TO REDUCE AGRARIAN STRESS IN MAHARASHTRA

Three steps that can reduce agrarian crisis in Maharashtra

1.  Small and Marginal farmer (>55 years age) pension scheme

 Pension provides hope and can stop suicides:

• In Maharashtra, there are 6.8 million marginal farmers and 4.0 million small farmers. Out of these 10.8 cmillion farmers an estimated 15% of them are above the age of 55.

• Pension of Rs 500 per month for 15 lakh farmers will cost Rs 750 million a month and Rs 9.0 billion  a year. The pension scheme can be based on Aadhar card. Modalities of farmer contribution may be worked out.

2. Reduce cost of cotton cultivation by using NITROGEN-fixing legume crops as inter-crops

• Legume crops (pulses, oilseeds and fodder) fix 150 to 500 kg NITROGEN per hectare.

• All cotton farmers in Maharashtra should be encouraged to cultivate NITROGEN fixing legume crops either in crop rotation or as inter-crops with cotton.

•  Kharif legume crops such as Soya (soybean), Tur (arhar/pigeonpea), Moong (green gram), Lobia/chavli (cowpea), Urad (blackgram) Val (broad bean), Mum phalli (groundnut) fix about 150 to 200 kg nitrogen per hectare, if the seeds are treated with Rhizobium just before sowing.

•  It is possible to reduce 90% of the urea requirement if legumes are grown in Kharif and rabi. Soybean and groundnut are oil seed crops and other legumes provide pulses and fodder.

• The need for chemical pesticides will be reduced at least by 50% since legume crops harbor beneficial insects for integrated pest management when legumes are grown as inter-crops with cotton. These systems promote organic farming.

 3. Cotton yields can be doubled in Vidarbha with half the production cost

• Early sowing of early-maturing cotton varieties in high density systems, escapes bollworms and drought. This system is followed in Brazil, Australia, USA, Mexico and China where farmers harvest more than 40 q/ha in rainfed farming, which is three times more than the Indian average cotton yield. 

• The Maharashtra State Agricultural Universities and CICR have excellent varieties that can be used for high density planting to bring a revolution in Vidarbha and Maratwada.

Honey bees in danger due to pesticide use in cotton

Bees in Danger

Last month I posted my article on 'Vanishing Bees'.

I tried to highlight the the dangers with chemicals to the 20,000 odd bee species, not just honey bees. As little as 1-4 nano gram of insecticides such as Fipronil and neonicotinoid insecticides can kill a bee. This would translate to 1-4 grams of the insecticide could kill one billion bees. Every year Bt-cotton seeds in India are treated with 120,000 kg neonicotinoid insecticides and at least about thrice this quantity is sprayed in cotton fields mostly during flowering period to control sap-sucking insects. These deadly insecticides are absorbed by plant tissues and are carried by bees as pollen, nectar and extruded sap into hives to feed young ones. Additionally, insecticides such as dimethoate, oxalic acid, formic acid, amitraz, coumaphos, synthetic pyrethroids flumethrin and fluvalinate are commonly used for the control of mites in apiaries. These are also deadly toxic to bees. Millions of bees may have died especially over the past 15 years of continued use of neonicotinoid insecticides and we will never know the negative consequences that this may have had on food crops, fruit crops, vegetables and of course agriculture itself. I mentioned in my article that Neonicotinoids have strong toxicity through contact action. "Insecticides such as imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiomethoxam and dinotefuran showed high toxicity to honey bees at very low concentrations. As oral poison, a dose as low as 3.7 to 7.6 nano grams per bee of any of these insecticides would be sufficient to kill at least 50% of the honey bee populations. To explain further, for example, 7.4 grams of imidacloprid can kill one billion honey bees...A dose of 18 to 22 nano grams per bee can kill 50% of a population through contact action. It is estimated that each square cm area on the plant parts of a crop is likely to have a range of 20 to 200 ng of the toxin if 20 grams of insecticide is sprayed per hectare. Therefore neonicotinoids pose a direct risk of contact poisoning when the bees alight on treated surfaces....Two years ago the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) examined several factors and decided on 1^st December 2013 to restrict the use of three pesticides clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, belonging to the neonicotinoid group of insecticides as seed treatment, soil application and foliar sprays for a period of two years in all the 28 member states of the European Union."

The continued excessive use of these insecticides and the least attention that this important issue receives in India, are both matters of GRAVE concern. Hope some good sense dawns on the powers that be, so that we save our bees and agriculture from these deadly poisons.

The Organic Cotton Argument

This article was published as 

Kranthi K.R. 2013. The 'Organic Cotton' Argument' CAI-Vol 32, 5th November 2013. Cotton Statistics and News, Published by Cotton Association of India, Mumbai.

The ‘Organic Cotton’ Argument

K. R. Kranthi

Is ‘organic cotton’ practical? For a commercial crop, the debate continues unabated. There are arguments on both sides of the divide. Those who believe that organic cotton is not just practical but more profitable, also vouch for sustainability. The proponents of conventional ‘modern’ agriculture emphasize that cotton cultivation without chemicals is very risky to the point that the entire crop can be lost to insects if pesticides are not sprayed on time.

Photo copyright: CICR Nagpur

Organic Cotton

According to the Organic Trade Association (OTA) http://www.ota.com/definition/quickoverview.html  “Organic cotton is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture. Third-party certification organizations verify that organic producers use only methods and materials allowed in organic production. Organic cotton is grown without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. In addition, federal regulations prohibit the use of genetically engineered seed for organic farming. All cotton sold as organic in the United States must meet strict federal regulations covering how the cotton is grown”

Further the OTA states that “Organic refers to the way agricultural products are grown and processed.  It includes a system of production, processing, distribution and sales that assures consumers that the products maintain the organic integrity that begins on the farm… Organic production is based on a system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers. Organically produced foods also must be produced without the use of antibiotics, synthetic hormones, genetic engineering and other excluded practices, sewage sludge, or irradiation. Cloning animals or using their products would be considered inconsistent with organic practices.  Organic foods are minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives, or irradiation to maintain the integrity of the food.”

Organic pest control?

Cotton insect pests, especially the American bollworm species were able to develop resistance to the most potent of chemical pesticides discovered until date. Even deadly concoction of pesticide cocktails failed to control the cotton insect pests.  So, it is not surprising for organic farmers to be confronted with questions such as ‘Can you really control the monstrous bollworm effectively with biological methods?’

It is commonly said that cotton crop is a ‘haven’ for more than 1326 species of insects. Interestingly, there are some insect species that can barely survive without the cotton crop. The pink bollworm and spotted bollworm thrive mainly on unripe green bolls of cotton. They are found sometimes on the vegetable okra, but the main food is the green cotton boll. It is widely believed that under conditions favourable to them, these insects can damage almost the entire crop, especially many American cotton varieties. The Desi Indian cotton species can still offer resistance to a reasonable extent. The argument therefore has been that for a crop species such as cotton which harbors so many insect species, can ‘organic’ cultivation be a viable option?

But, the ‘proof of the pudding is in the eating’. Hundreds of farmers across India and many parts of the world have been cultivating ‘organic cotton’, not just sustainably but profitably as well. How then is pest control possible in organic cotton? What have the organic cotton farmers been doing across the world for cotton pest control?

Research needs and current status.

Organic cultivation needs high quality science to make it sustainable. Studies show that the shortcuts offered by chemical farming offer short-term solutions and many a times lead to side-effect-problems, and thus are invariably unsustainable in the long term.

Organic cotton needs varieties that are innately tolerant to major insect pests such as the bollworms, jassids and whiteflies. Also practices such as early sowing of early maturing varieties also helps the crop to escape almost all the insect pests including the three species of bollworms. The Desi species Gossypium arboreum offers excellent options for organic cotton. Some varieties developed recently have fiber traits that are better than most of the American cotton hybrids and are endowed with resistance to drought, diseases and insect pests.  

Varieties that are ideally suited for low input conditions and that can tolerate abiotic and biotic stress conditions are best suited for organic farming. It needs highest quality of science for the development of such varieties.

So far organic cotton relies heavily on naturally occurring biological control that generally thrives better under no chemical interventions. In addition, biological herbal pesticides, microbial pesticides, predators and parasitoids are used for biological control of insect pests and diseases. It must be realized that such methods are scientifically demanding and need to be properly standardized for effective control.

It is estimated that about 7166 litres of irrigation water was used in North India to produce 1 kg cotton lint. In stark contrast just 504 litres of irrigation water was used per kg lint in Maharashtra wherein 97% of cotton is cultivated under rain-fed conditions. It is therefore appropriate to consider organic cotton cultivation under rain-fed conditions to minimize the usage of irrigation water and conserve water for other food crops. Additionally the technique of ‘ridges and furrows’ can be used for efficient moisture utilization. Organic residue management, minimum tillage, crop residue mulches, green manure incorporation etc must be standardized to enable better soil texture and improvement in soil organic carbon reserves.  

Photo courtesy: Dr Vishlesh Nagrare, CICR Nagpur

Status of Organic Cotton

Organic cotton is currently grown in 22 countries: Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, China, Egypt, Greece, India, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Pakistan, Peru, South Africa, Senegal, Syria, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, USA, and Zambia.  The top ten organic cotton producing countries in order by rank are: India, Turkey, Syria, China, USA, Uganda,Tanzania, Peru, Egypt and Burkina Faso, with India taking over Turkey’s long-time standing as the number one producer in 2007/08.

More than 70% of the world’s organic cotton is grown in India. Over the past 6 years India has been the global leader in organic cotton production.  During 2011-12 India grew organic cotton in 3.37 lakh hectares and produced 5.9 lakh bales at 72% of the global organic cotton. An estimated 219,000 farmers grow organic cotton across the globe, with an estimated 80% of them from India. About 93% of India’s organic cotton area is in three states in Madhya Pradesh (60%), Maharashtra (25%) and Rajasthan (9%). Earlier, India’s contribution to global organic cotton production was about 10-15% until 2002, suddenly the contribution increased to 33% (1.36 lakh bales) in 2006-07, 51% (4.34 lakh bales) in 2007-08 and 69% (11 lakh bales) in 2008-09.

Chemical intensive cotton production

Cotton farming is chemical intensive all across the world. According to the Cropnosis, UK, cotton production accounted for 17.5% of world insecticide sales and 6.2% of the total plant protection chemicals in 2012. A recent ICAC report (2013) states that “an average of 16 cents were spent on insecticides themselves and their application on cotton per kilogram of lint in 20012-13. Expenditures on insect control in 2012/13 represented 11% of the net cost of cotton production”.

Huge amount of synthetic fertilizers are used for conventional cotton production, especially on hybrid cotton which occupies 95% of the total cotton area in India. The manufacturing process of one ton of nitrogen fertilizer emits nearly 7 tons of CO₂ equivalent greenhouse gases. It is estimated that organic cotton emits 40-60% less CO_2.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers seven of the top 15 pesticides used on cotton in 2010 in the United States as "possible," "likely," "probable," or "known" human carcinogens (acephate, 1,3-dichloropropene, diuron, s-metolachlor, pendimethalin, tribufos, and trifluralin). In 1992, a massive bird kill occurred in Costa Rica after it was applied by plane in a cotton field. Methyl parathion has been implicated in the deaths of waterfowl in Spain and the acute poisoning of fish, birds, cattle and wild animals in the Sudan. There were 1,243 incidents involving methyl parathion between 1982-1991 in Brazil and hundreds of documented poisoning cases in laborers working in cotton fields of Nicaragua.

In India, cotton cultivation accounted for 1.0 to 1.5 kg insecticide per hectare per year almost for two decades prior to 2004 accounting for about 40-50% of the total insecticides used in India were for cotton pest management. Despite intensive insecticide applications, an estimated at least 15% of yield was lost each year. Cotton production was being rendered uneconomic in many regions of the country. The excessive use of insecticides, especially synthetic pyrethroids, led to further and worse problems of insecticide resistance in Helicoverpa armigera and Spodoptera litura,which further necessitated the repeated application of insecticides. Studies also show that many insecticides and crop varieties are actually responsible for ecological disruption that in turn leads to proliferation of existing pests or resurgence of new pests. Subsequent to 2004, when the area under Bt cotton increased to more than 30%, the usage reduced by 50% to 0.5 to 0.75 Kg per hectare per year.

Indian farmers continue to use insecticides, which are considered to be extremely hazardous to the environment and which have been severely regulated by the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization), WHO (World Health Organization) and the UNEP (united Nations Environment Programme). Insecticides in the category of WHO Class 1a (extremely hazardous category; methyl parathion, phosphamidon & phorate) and WHO-Class 1b (highly hazardous; monocrotophos, dichlorvos, carbofuran, methomyl, triazophos and metasystox) are commonly recommended by many of the State Agricultural Universities in India for cotton pest control. Interestingly, diclorvos was never approved for use in cotton, but is being recommended by the Agricultural Universities in Maharashtra and Gujarat. The three organophosphate insecticides (phosphamidon, methyl parathion and monocrotophos) belong to the category of either ‘banned or restricted use’ in India. But, it is a matter of immense concern that there has been a sudden increase in the use of these extremely hazardous category insecticides on cotton over the past 4-5 years for mealybug control. Methyl Parathion and monocrotophos are banned or restricted use in 19 countries and phosphamidon in at least 12 countries. Monocrotophos is one of the most commonly used insecticides on cotton in India. Over the 25 years monocrotophos was used in Hungary, where it caused more damage to wild birds than did any other pesticide. Monocrotophos is also highly toxic to freshwater invertebrates. Effects reported in workers repeatedly exposed to methyl parathion include impaired memory and concentration, disorientation, severe depressions, irritability, confusion, headache, speech difficulties, delayed reaction times, nightmares, sleepwalking, drowsiness and insomnia. Medical effects include nausea, diarrhoea, blurred vision, and in severe cases, respiratory depression, convulsions and death.

The use of chemicals in cotton is not restricted to only the stage of crop production. It extends into processing as well. The OTA states that “During the conversion of cotton into conventional clothing, many hazardous materials are used and added to the product, including silicone waxes, harsh petroleum scours, softeners, heavy metals, flame and soil retardants, ammonia, and formaldehyde-just to name a few….Many processing stages result in large amounts of toxic wastewater that carry away residues from chemical cleaning, dyeing, and finishing. This waste depletes the oxygen out of the water, killing aquatic animals and disrupting aquatic ecosystems. The North American Organic Fiber Processing Standards prohibits these and similar chemicals.”

Contamination with Bt cotton?

Since GM cotton is widespread in India, the possibilities of contamination either through bee-pollination or heavy winds or post harvest physical admixtures, make it relatively difficult to maintain the purity of GM-free organic cotton.

The Swedish fashion giant H&M with about 3000 stores, is the world’s largest user of organic cotton, followed by the Dutch retail chain C&A, Nike, Zara (Inditex) and Anvil Knitwear group. In 2010 an independent laboratory in Germany reported that 30% of the organic cotton tested from H&M, C&A and Tchibo was contaminated with Bt genes from GM cotton. Accusations were pointed to India which was the main source of the organic cotton.  Though the reports could not be confirmed scientifically, there were several precautionary measures taken up to streamline the entire organic cotton production practices and to prevent physical contamination either at markets or processing mills. Currently certification procedures have also been standardized with rigor in India. There are 16 accredited certification bodies in India, but only a few of them have a major market share in the cotton value chain, especially in organic cotton. There are several National and international initiatives in India to maintain the integrity of organic cotton. The ICCO (Interchurch organization for development, Netherlands), Organic Exchange and Solidaridad have formed a group called the: ‘Consortium on Integrity of Organic Cotton’ to promote sustainable growth of the organic cotton sector and enhance the credibility of all the stakeholders. The Central Institute for Cotton Research assists organic cotton producing groups in seed production and detection of GM cotton.

Policy support in India

Two main Government bodies, the Organic Cotton Advisory Board (OCAB) and the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) guide and oversee India's organic cotton industry. Through an internet based electronic service called ‘Tracenet’ the APEDA facilitates certification for export of organic products from India which comply with the NPOP (National Program for Organic Production) standards. TraceNet collects, stores and reports - forward and backward traces and quality assurance data entered by the operators / producer groups and certification bodies within the organic supply chain in India. The OCAB formed on Oct. 14, 2008 is headed by the textile commissioner. The OCAB has major objectives to foster a better understanding of the organic cotton industry, identify critical areas of action, facilitate synergy through efforts of various stakeholders and organize a well researched package of practice for organic cotton cultivation.

Conclusion

Organic cotton is certainly possible as a technology driven by high quality science. It can be developed in consonance with ecology and the environment to ensure long term sustainability.  

Native Cotton of India -Desi Cotton Returns?

This article was published as 

Kranthi K.R. 2015. Desi Cotton -Returns?. CAI-Vol 15, 14th July 2015. Cotton Statistics and News, Published by Cotton Association of India, Mumbai.

Desi Cotton -Returns?

K. R. Kranthi

Last month, an interesting research paper on Indian Desi cotton was published by a team of researchers from Oxford University UK in the journal ‘NATURE plants’. The paper titled 'Asiatic cotton can generate similar economic benefits to Bt cotton under rain-fed conditions' URL http://www.nature.com/articles/nplants201572 written by Carla-Romeu-Dalmau and three other authors has some brilliant insights on the strengths of Desi (Asiatic cotton) with reference to India. I am tempted to ask ‘why is it that we Indians are unable to see and accept something so obvious, which foreign researchers are able to see clearly and point out –the brilliance of Desi cotton?’

Desi cotton can be as profitable as Bt-cotton in rainfed Maharashtra: American cotton belongs to the species Gossypium hirsutum and Desi cotton or Asiatic cotton belongs to Gossypium arboreum. The Oxford authors visited Maharashtra and conducted their survey in Vidarbha. The authors concluded that “Taken together, these data suggest that the main reasons why farmers adopt Bt G. hirsutum instead of G. arboreum is the expectation of higher yields and more resistance to bollworms, but also because G. arboreum seed is hardly available. In contrast, farmers choose to grow G. arboreum instead of Bt G. hirsutum because with G. arboreum cultivation they expect lower expenditure and better performance under rainfed conditions. We found evidence demonstrating that under rainfed conditions, G. arboreum cultivation can generate similar economic benefits for farmers as Bt G. hirsutum cultivation in Maharashtra. Although farmers growing Bt G. hirsutum have more stable net revenue, they also need to spend more to obtain similar net revenue than farmers growing G. arboreum. This indicates that under rainfed conditions, the economic benefits associated with Bt G. hirsutum cultivation are not necessarily realized. In these conditions, other cotton varieties such as the Asiatic cotton G. arboreum may offer an alternative for cotton farmers in Maharashtra and perhaps in other cotton cultivating areas. When farmers growing Bt G. hirsutum use irrigation, they obtain higher yields than under rainfed conditions, but our data demonstrate that without effective management of the expenditure, higher yields do not translate into higher net revenue. We conclude that our study provides insights into how the potential of Bt G. hirsutum cultivation is constrained under rainfed conditions in India, and how even though Bt G. hirsutum yields increase with irrigation, this does not necessary translate into an increase in the economic benefits received by Indian smallholder farmers”.

Why Desi cotton? The research paper cited my article ‘Long live SwaDesi Cotton’ that was published on 13^th August 2013 in the Cotton Statistics and News, CAI-Vol 20, Published by Cotton Association of India, Mumbai. I am recollecting here a passage from my article “It may not be easy to accept the opinion instantaneously, but with some good thinking, it would not be difficult either, to propose that ‘India’s cotton future lies in Desi cotton’. The recent challenges of ever-increasing cost of chemical inputs and labour scarcity have been pushing cotton cultivation towards un-sustainability and marginalized profits. The current American cotton hybrid systems that predominate more than 95.0% of the cotton area in India do not fall in the category of sustainable approaches. These hybrids are expensive to cultivate; input intensive and run the constant risks of collapsing under high sensitivity to biotic and abiotic stresses. What is imminently needed for India is a vision based policy to plan towards sustainable profits. Desi cotton provides the answers for sustainability. But good thinking and planning are necessary. Two aspects strengthen Desi cotton. One is improvement of fibre traits. The second aspect relates to the exploitation of the existing traits for specialized purposes such as absorbent cotton and ancillary uses, for which Desi cotton is the best and other species cannot serve the purpose.” It is noteworthy that the researchers from Oxford University arrived at the same conclusions independently.

Though it might sound repetitive, it is important to point out that India needs to move towards sustainable cotton cropping systems which are much easier with Desi cotton. In my previous article on agrarian crisis part-3, published in the 13^th May 2015 issue of Cotton Statistics and News, I pointed out that “Clearly, agrarian stress is related to the declining net returns in agriculture and cannot be related to cotton cultivation alone. But, there are long term sustainable solutions that can lower down the cost of production and increase yields.” Net returns depend on the cost of cultivation and market price. Cultivating Desi cotton varieties is easy with low production costs. These are highly tolerant to drought, insects and diseases and give high yields with low inputs. Then why is it that India is still reluctant to move towards Desi cotton, at least in the 60% area under rain-fed farming?

Interestingly, Indian farmers were historically reluctant to move away from Desi cotton. At the time of independence India had 97.5% of its area under Desi cotton. The area under Desi was 25% before Bt-cotton made its entry into India 13 years ago. By the year 2011, the area shrunk to less than 2.0%. It is important to understand why Indian farmers preferred Desi cotton over times immemorial until the invasion by Bt-hybrids. There are Desi varieties of Gossypium herbaceum and Gossypium arboreum which can grow in any kind of conditions such as saline soils, sodic soils, desert soils, light soils etc., under dry conditions. There are hardly any varieties of the American cotton species Gossypium hirsutum that can survive such conditions. Desi varieties are highly tolerant to drought, salinity, diseases and a range of insect pests including the bollworms. It is this resilience to tough biotic and abiotic conditions that makes Desi cotton species the right choice for sustainable farming.

Indian cotton production systems have become costly and unsustainable. The shifting away from Desi cotton and the change from a mere 40% hybrid area in 2001 to 92% area under Bt-cotton in 2011 influenced a lot of changes in the cotton economics in India. As per the data available with the Ministry of Agriculture, the average cost of cultivation was Rs 15,961 per hectare in 2002, which increased to an average of Rs 71,115 per hectare in 2011. The yields may have increased, but fertilizer usage per hectare increased by 3.6 times from an average of 74.1 kg per hectare in 2002 to 267 kg per hectare in 2011. With the increase in fertilizer usage, predominantly urea on hybrid cotton, insect pest infestation increased. The average expenditure on insecticides was Rs 1073 per hectare in 2001, which increased to Rs 2925 per hectare in 2011. Thus, India’s cotton is now characterized with a constant increase in chemical fertilizers and insecticide usage, to move away from sustainability. This shift towards unsustainable cotton production systems makes farmers highly vulnerable to economic risks.

Desi cotton offers the most resilient options. It is important for India to break away from the current imbroglio mired in chemical matrices. We need to move towards robust and sturdy climate resilient cotton production methods that are in consonance with natural ecosystems. Desi cotton provides exciting prospects towards sustainability. Unfortunately research on Desi cotton was grossly neglected in India, as a result of which there was a slow progress in varietal development. Despite the neglect, a few scientists have developed outstanding Desi cotton varieties which can bring in a ‘soft revolution’ in the country.

Desi cotton for spinnable and non-spinnable fibres. Two categories of Desi cotton varieties can make a huge difference especially in the rain-fed tracts that comprise 60% of the cotton area of India. One type is the short and coarse fibre varieties that are suitable for absorbent cotton, surgical, denims, mattresses, technical textiles etc., whose demand is growing and the market price is very high. There are several varieties in this category. Desi cotton offers hygroscopic short fibre with high micronaire, which makes it an ideal choice for a wide range of applications. Yields are high with high density planting because of the compact nature of many varieties. For example, Phule Dhanwantary from MPKV Rahuri is one outstanding Desi variety which gives high yields of 25-30 q/ha or more under high density planting in rain-fed conditions with less than half of the production cost compared to any Bt-cotton hybrid. Ginning out-turn is very high. Other category pertains to Desi varieties that produce good quality spinnable fibres. There are some newly improved varieties have very good fibre traits that are equivalent to American cotton varieties. In a succinct study published in 2011 in the Indian Journal of Fibre and Textile Research, Chandra and Srinivasan (ex-Director CIRCOT. Mumbai) compared four improved new Desi cotton Gossypium arboreum varieties (PA-255, DLSA-17, MDL-2463 and Jawahar Tapti) with two American cotton Gossypium hirsutum varieties (Bikaneri Narma and LRA-5166) for their spinning potential at 16, 30 and 40 counts. They found that “..at medium count (30s), in general, all the improved G. arboreum strains perform better than the G. hirsutum strain LRA-5166 but the strain PA-255 shows most promising results. This may be attributed to the fact that almost all the improved G. arboreum strains evaluated, PA-255 posseses best fibre quality traits, especially fibre length and fineness. For 40s count the improved G. arboreum strain PA-255 shows significantly better results for U%, thick and thin places in comparison to the G. hirsutum strain LRA-5166.” The authors concluded that “The fabric produced from improved G arboreum cotton shows comparatively higher toughness and appears to possess optimum rigidity. The improved G .arboreum cotton fabric records markedly higher values for dye uptake and air permeability as compared to G. hirsutum cotton fabric. These fabrics are suitable for the designated end use i.e. men’s winter wear with THV rating around ‘3’. ..The improved G. arboreum can be a viable and suitable alternative to the medium long staple G. hirsutum cotton particularly with regard to the yarn count range 8-25s and for specific end uses like denim and twills. Also, the G. arboreum genotypes are well known for their inherent resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses and widely considered as a potential source for organic cotton.”

Thus, there is immense potential for Desi cotton varieties to make a huge positive difference to India’s cotton sustainable future. Unfortunately some of the best research results with Desi cotton were achieved at a time when the country was under the Bt-cotton hybrid wave. All the new improved varieties were released mostly coinciding with the Bt-cotton wave. The improvements made in Desi cotton are important because they provide viable sustainable alternatives for high yields with low cost of production. This assumes significance in light of the significant increase in cost of cotton production over the past 10 years, when the yields also became stagnant.

Also, over the past 2-3 years there is a growing demand for Desi cotton all across the country, especially in North India. But, seeds of many Desi varieties are not available in the local market. Public sector institutions such as State Agricultural Universities, state seed corporations and CICR have been producing limited quantities that are adequate for just a few thousand acres. In view of the increasing demand, it is possible that these institutions will upscale seed production programmes of the Desi varieties in the next few years. The renewed demand for Desi cotton did not come as a surprise for those who deal with cotton. The main reasons for the preference are 1. Desi cotton varieties are deep rooted and overcome drought with ease 2. Whiteflies have been causing immense damage to almost all the Bt cotton hybrids in north India, whereas almost all the Desi cotton varieties are resistant to whiteflies and leaf hoppers. 3. Desi cotton species are immune to the dreaded ‘cotton leaf curl virus disease CLCuD’ which is a major menace in North India and not in other parts of the country 4. The market price of Desi Kapas (seed-cotton) was 15-20% more than the kapas of Bt-cotton hybrids 5. Desi varieties hardly need any chemical inputs such as fertilizers or insecticides for higher yields, thus the cost of production is less than half of Bt-cotton hybrids 6. Even with moderate care, the yields of Desi cotton varieties can easily exceed the yields of Bt cotton in rain-fed and irrigated regions.

Conclusion. It is important for the cotton scientific fraternity to renew their focus on the strengths of the native cotton and build on them to develop robust climate resilient Desi varieties that produce premium quality fibre with least dependence on chemical inputs. This is eminently possible. As Robert Goddard said “It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow”. Strange, that we transformed Desi cotton which was a wonderful reality of yesterday into a dream for tomorrow.

It occurs to me sometimes that Desi cotton is just like what Indians are “deep rooted in civilization, rich in heritage, strong in conviction, open to exploitation, unaware of their strengths, philosophically lost in wilderness and happily resigned to fate”. It is time to wake up and help Desi cotton get back its lost kingdom, and through it so shall our own brethren regain back our roots to reach the sky.