Without global, collaborative efforts to collect, protect, and secure cotton germplasm, the rarest and most unique cotton germplasm resources are vulnerable to extinction. Global cotton germplasm resources are important sanctuaries of important genes and genetic variability that can be used in the future to improve cotton production systems and provide genetic tolerance to emerging diseases and pests. This report describes a unique collaborative effort among the germplasm collection centers of major cotton growing countries to document the cotton germplasm resources at the global level. This report emphasizes the importance of international collaboration to protect, secure, and evaluate the global cotton germplasm resources. The status of several large cotton germplasm collections 658 representing a large portion of the curated cotton germplasm resources worldwide, including those from the US,India, France, China, Australia, Uzbekistan, and Brazil, is described. The contents, maintenance methods, and availability of each germplasm collection are discussed. Future concerns and opportunities are discussed that aim to protect and secure the global cotton germplasm resources within a collaborative, multi-national framework. We expect that this report will initiate multi-national, collaborative efforts to collect, preserve, evaluate and utilize global cotton germplasm resources to address the current and future needs of the global cotton community.(Résumé d'auteur)

Cotton production in India is at cross roads for the past few years. Till recently it was the hybrid that was at the focus but the era of genetically modified cotton has arrived. There has been lot of hue and cry regarding the commercialization of Bt cotton in India since Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has approved the use of Bt cotton seeds. This study has analysed the economic impact of biotechnologically engineered cotton cultivation in Tamil Nadu and the factors affecting the adoption of Bt cotton varieties. The study is based on a sample size of 76 Bt cotton farmers and 44 non-Bt cotton farmers from Salem and Perambalur districts. The results have indicated that only about one-third of the non-Bt cotton farmers are not aware about Bt cotton. Higher yield and higher profitability and lower pest problems have been cited as the important factors behind preference for Bt cotton. The less number of pesticide sprays in Bt cotton is likely to have lot of environmental and health benefits to both farmers and labourers. However, high cost of seeds and incidence of pests and diseases other than bollworm have been reported to be the major bottlenecks in Bt cotton cultivation. The study has made some suggestions to disseminate Bt cotton technology on a wider scale.

The extensive use of chemical pesticides in agriculture has caused numerous problems particularly in term of health and environment and has resulted in criticism by environmental protection agencies and the public. Due to the above mentioned issues, the search for alternative strategies for replacement or reduction of chemical pesticides has become extremely important. Biological control of plant diseases using fungal and bacterial antagonists has been accepted as a viable alternative for harmful chemical pesticides. One of the most important limiting factors in the use of biocontrol active microorganisms is the lack of efficacy in the field due to improper formulation. In this study, the possibility of development of some new formulations of biofungicides was investigated. Two antagonistic bacterial isolates belonged to Pseudomonas fluorescense and Bacillus coagulans which have performed efficiently in preleminary studeis were selected and 8 biofungicides were developed and prepared using 4 inorganic and organic carriers including Talc, Bentonite, Rice bran and Peat. The formulations were developed and prepared following the procedures described in the literature. In another part of the study, these formulations were used against Rhizoctonia solani the causal agent of cotton seedling damping-off which is considered to be one of the most important diseases of cotton. The efficacy of biofungicides was evaluated based on the number of healthy cotton seedlings in different treatments 15, 30 and 45 days after sowing. Results indicated that 5 out of 8 formulations were effective in controlling cotton seedling damping-off disease. The most effective biofungicides were Peat-B1, Peat-B2, RB-B1, RB-B2 and Bent-B1 which resulted in significant reduction in cotton seedling damping-off disease (compared with the control) and were as effective as Carboxin-thiram, the common fungicide which is being used for chemical control of this disease. The results of this study are promising and the developed biofungicides may be used for replacement of chemical fungicides in controlling cotton seedling damping-off and other plant diseases and result in the reduction of environmental contamination for approaching a sustainable agricultural system.

This rasearch aimed at achieving the following objectives: Identifying the general characteristics of farmers, To identify the degree of farmers' knowledge for recommendations of integrated control of cotton pests,and determine factors are related with it, to identify the deree of farmers' implementation for these recommendations, and determine factors are related with it, to identify the degree of farmers' attitudes towards for htese recommendations and determine factors are related with it, to identify the reasons of farmers desire to continue or not on plantation cotton crop, to identify the extension services for cotton farmers, to identify the relative importance of information sources that farmers get their agricultural information ,to determine the most important problems that face farmers and their suggestions to solve it This reseach was carried in Sharkia Governorate on random sample consists of 255 respondents during 2007. The results revealed that 49,8% form farmers, knowledge for recommendations of integrated control for cotton crop pest were law and medium, 45,5% form farmers, implementation for recommendations of integrated control for cotton crop pest were law and medium, and 52.9% from farmers, attitudes towards integrated control of cotton pests were low and medium. The results showed that 79.6% for farmers are not desire to continue of plantation cotton while 20.4% are desire to continue on plantation it The important extension services from the view point of farmers were providing the pesticides and how to use it, times of spraying, question from diseases and pests providing fertilizers and how to use and times of fertilization and giving cotton seedes, the important problems that face farmer were increasing of prices for pesticides, fertilization, labors.

Phylosphere is a site for living microorganisms including bacteria. Plants species and plant leaf type have important role on diversity and density of bacteria live on them. There are several bacteria as epiphytic on aerial parts of plants and plant seeds which cause diseases in suitable conditions. Cotton bacterial blight has been appeared as epidemic in Iran particularly in golestan province in recent years. Some suggestion propounds the presence of this bacterium on cotton seed surface. This study was conducted in Golestan province to identify the gram negative bacteria on seed surface. For this purpose samplings were done randomly from recommend seeds for planting. The seeds was incorporated into sterile distilled water and small amount of tween 20 as a detergent was added to it , and put to room temperature for one houre for better washing of bacteria on seed surface. Then the above suspention was streaked on bactewrial culture media. The growthed bacteria were isolated, purified and identified. The results revealed that Pseudomonas fluorescenc, P. syringae, Pantoea annanas and Pectobacterium sp. Were identified based on authentic references. The presence of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. malvacearum was not proved as casual agent of bacterial blight as epiphyte on cotton seeds.

The thrust of biotechnology research in Zimbabwe is to promote already developed technologies, especially for commercialized crops such as tobacco, wheat, cotton and sugarcane. This involve tissue culture techniques for disease elimination and rapid propagation, development of transgenic plants (tobacco) and development of biopesticides and biofertilizers. Work in the animal sector focuses on laboratory diagnosis of diseases, vaccine development and vector control. There is also an on-going study on the molecular biology of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and its involvement in the etiology of hepatocellular carcina (HCC).

The thrust of biotechnology research in Zimbabwe is to promote already developed technologies, especially for commercialized crops such as tobacco, wheat, cotton and sugarcane. This involve tissue culture techniques for disease elimination and rapid propagation, development of transgenic plants (tobacco) and development of biopesticides and biofertilizers. Work in the animal sector focuses on laboratory diagnosis of diseases, vaccine development and vector control. There is also an on-going study on the molecular biology of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and its involvement in the etiology of hepatocellular carcina (HCC).

Traditional breeding efforts dramatically transformed the cotton (Gossypium spp.) plant during the last century. In the coming decade, the high priority breeding objectives for production regions of the western US (far-western Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California) will involve morphologically complex traits controlled by many interacting genes. Although perennial concerns regarding yield, response to pests (lygus, thrips, aphids, and whitefly), and disease resistance (seedling fungal diseases, Fusarium and Verticillum wilts, and root-knot nematode) remain, plant characteristics conferring improved water-use efficiency, heat tolerance, and fiber quality traits will become increasingly important to the cotton industry. Adoption of transgenic cotton in New Mexico in the early 2000s resulted in decreased planting of conventional Acala 1517 cultivars, which declined to approximately 5% of total planting by 2005. However, a transgenic cultivar containing Bt, Acala 1517-99W, became available in 2006 and planting of that cultivar increased to 14% of total production in that same year. In Arizona, improvements in productivity and fiber quality in American Pima (G. barbadense L.) were made possible by emphasizing selection for adaptation to high temperature environments. However, yield losses attributed to heat stress continue to be significant in Upland, Pima, and Acala cottons, with long-term estimates averaging about 12% annually in Arizona alone. Further improvements will require the development of better selection tools, both phenotypic and molecular, for heat tolerance. In California, Fusarium wilt race 4 currently poses new challenges, making breeding for resistance against this pathogen a priority. With cotton hectarage declining in the western production regions from approximately 800,000 ha in the 1970s to less than 285,000 today, and a continuing shift in production from Acala to Pima, sustainability of the industry will likely require that breeders emphasize high yields, reduced production inputs, and lint characteristics that attract premium prices.

Aim of the study: Albizia lebbeck Benth. is used both in Indian traditional system and folk medicine to treat several inflammatory pathologies such as asthma, arthritis and burns. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the scientific basis of anti-inflammatory activity of different organic solvent extracts of Albizia lebbeck. Materials and methods: The anti-inflammatory activity of Albizia lebbeck was studied using the carrageenan, dextran, cotton pellet and Freund's complete adjuvant induced rat models. The extracts obtained using petroleum ether, chloroform and ethanol were administered at the concentrations of 100, 200 and 400mg/kg body weight. Results: The petroleum ether and ethanol extracts at 400mg/kg, showed maximum inhibition of inflammation induced by carrageenan (petroleum ether--48.6%; ethanol--59.57%), dextran (petroleum ether--45.99%; ethanol--52.93%), cotton pellet (petroleum ether--34.46%; ethanol--53.57%) and Freund's adjuvant (petroleum ether--64.97%; ethanol--68.57%). Conclusion: The marked inhibitory effect on paw edema shows that Albizia lebbeck possesses remarkable anti-inflammatory activity, supporting the folkloric usage of the plant to treat various inflammatory diseases.

DNA β is a circular single-stranded satellite DNA associated with certain monopartite begomoviruses (family Geminiviridae) which causes economically important diseases such as cotton leaf curl disease. DNA β contains a single gene, βC1, which encodes a pathogenicity protein responsible for symptom production. Transient expression studies in Nicotiana tabacum using the β-glucuronidase reporter gene driven by a βC1 promoter-deletion series of the DNA β associated with cotton leaf curl Multan virus identified a 68 nt region (between -139 and -207) which is important for βC1 transcription. This 68 nt region contains a G-box (CACGTG) located 143 nt upstream of the βC1 start codon. Mutation of the G-box resulted in a significant reduction in βC1 promoter activity and DNA β replication efficiency. In addition, the G-box motif was found to bind specifically to a protein(s) in nuclear extracts prepared from tobacco leaf tissues. Our results indicate that interaction of the G-box motif with host nuclear factors is important for efficient gene expression and replication of DNA β.