Fine cotton leads the pack

With their sights set on better prices, Australia's cotton industry has rapidly adopted CSIRO's latest varieties with improved fibre quality and high yield.

Bred by CSIRO's cotton breeding team in Narrabri NSW, the new varieties, Sicot 75 and Sicot 70BRF, have longer fibres and produce fibre with an ideal 'micronaire' rating of 4.3.

The varieties bring the industry closer towards supplying the higher quality cotton needed to achieve a better price and improved demand from international spinners.

Team leader, Dr Greg Constable says Sicot 75 and Sicot 70BRF have high yields, but they require good crop and post-harvest management to realise their fibre quality potential.

CSIRO's experts in breeding, molecular biology, agronomy and textiles are identifying innovative ways to continue raising fibre quality without compromising yield.

This is helping CSIRO deliver new cotton varieties that meet market expectations and produce quality cotton textiles.

This year over 70 per cent of the conventional cotton crop is planted to Sicot 75 and the insect and herbicide resistant genetically modified (GM) Sicot 70BRF is on track to emulate the success of other CSIRO varieties.

This research is a collaboration between CSIRO Plant Industry and Cotton Seed Distributors Ltd through the Cotton Breeding Australia joint venture. CSIRO cotton varieties have been developed with support from the Cotton Research and Development Corporation.

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