Pakistan Teams with United States to Battle Leaf Curl Virus

Scientists and Researchers in the United States and Pakistan will be working together to fight a major thorn in the sides of cotton growers everywhere: cotton leaf curl virus (CLCV). They will work to develop CLCV-resistant cotton varieties. Dr. Brian Scheffler, research leader and computational molecular biologist with the Genomic and Bio-infomatics Research Unit of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture Research Service, says that about $9 million will be invested in the three-year project to develop CLCV-resistant varieties, as well as to improve the capacity of the agencies that manage the biotech cotton framework and facilitate the implementation of seed laws in Pakistan, according to the Pakistan Observer. Cotton and cotton products contribute about 10 percent to Pakistan’s gross domestic product, so CLCV–which causes a 20 percent reduction in cotton yields–is a very serious problem.

Although U.S. cotton seeds are not cultivated in Pakistan because the climate is not suited to those particular growths, American farmers are quite familiar with CLCV, which also attacks their crops. U.S. partners involved with this project include the USDA Agriculture Research Service, Mississippi State University, the University of Arizona, and Texas A&M University.