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Biotechnology helped develop CLCV, resistant cotton variety

AMER SIAL

ISLAMABAD: The country experienced economic losses of $ 5 billion due to cotton leaf curl virus (CLCV) in recent years and cotton losses were estimated at 7.5 million bales, which resulted in closure of 120 textile units.

Pakistan Agriculture Research Council Chairman Dr. Kausar Abdullah Malik stated this while giving his presentation on "Biotechnology for Development" here on Tuesday.

Malik said that the scientists were able to develop CLCV-resistant varieties of cotton in a few years time through modern biotechnology method of genetic engineering. Such a feast would not have been possible with the traditional biotechnology which was in vogue. Only a few years back as in traditional plant breeding mode gene pool was limited only to the compatible cotton cross pollination but with the help of genetic engineering it has become unlimited with recombinant DNA technology.

The varieties developed through conventional plant breeding scheme took 10-12 years for approval and release but the transgenic plants take only 2-4 years, he said.

Malik defined biotechnology as any technique that uses living organisms, or part of such organisms, to make or modify products, to improve plants or animals, or to develop micro-organisms for specific use.

Biotechnology has helped in-vitro (laboratory environment) multiplication of many crops. He mentioned the case of sugarcane varieties which are difficult to be multiplied in the conventional field as a single plant can yield 100-150 plant-lets in a single year. But with the help of new methods 80,000 to 100,000 sugarcane plant-lets could be developed from a single plant.

The cotton sprayed area of the country has increased from five percent in 1982 to 95 percent in 1992 and with the sale of pesticide going up to Rs 8 billion, which he considered alarming and called for using bio-fertilizers.

He defined them as preparations containing live, non-pathogenic micro-organisms which are beneficial to agricultural production in terms of nutrient supply.

The identifying of DNA structure, jumping of genes in maize, plant tissue culture, gene cloning, start of transgenic crops, biolistic gun (gene gun), animal cloning (dolly), release of flavour, genetically modified crops, human genome project and arabidopsis genome project were declared by him as the milestones of biotechnology in last 50 years.