ISLAMABAD, Aug 05 (ABC):Pakistan approved 14 cotton varieties during 2021-2025 featuring improved fibre quality, higher ginning outturn, heat tolerance, drought tolerance and bollworm resistance, strengthening the country’s cotton seed portfolio and supporting the textile value chain.
According to official documents available with Wealth Pakistan, the approved varieties were developed by two major cotton research institutions — the Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI), Multan, and the Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI), Sakrand, Sindh. CCRI Multan accounted for 11 varieties, while CCRI Sakrand contributed three varieties.
The approved cotton varieties from CCRI Multan include Bt CIM-663, Bt CIM-678, Bt CIM-785, Bt Cyto-535, Cyto-226, CIM-775, CIM-343, Cyto-537, Cyto-511, Bt CIM-775 and Bt CIM-990. The three varieties developed by CCRI Sakrand are Bt CRIS-682, Bt CRIS-674 and CRIS-644.
The newly approved varieties recorded ginning outturn (GOT) ranging from 38.2% to 42.3%, staple length of up to 29.6mm and fibre strength of up to 33.5.
The cotton quality is measured not only by yield but also by indicators such as micronaire, fibre strength and ginning outturn, which are important to spinners, ginners and textile manufacturers. Micronaire measures fibre fineness and maturity, influencing spinning performance, dye absorption and fabric quality. The ideal micronaire range for most spinning mills is between 3.5 and 4.9, and all the approved varieties fall within this range.
Fibre strength, which determines the force a cotton fibre can withstand before breaking, directly affects yarn strength, spinning efficiency and fabric durability. Fibre strength between 28 and 30 is considered good, between 30 and 32 very good and above 32 excellent. The approved varieties recorded fibre strength ranging from 28.3 to 33.5, covering good, very good and excellent quality categories.
Similarly, ginning outturn, or the percentage of lint obtained after ginning seed cotton, ranged from 38.2% to 42.3% among the approved varieties. A GOT of 38% to 40% is generally considered good, while anything above 40% is regarded as excellent.
Among the approved varieties, CIM-775, released by CCRI Multan in 2023, recorded the highest ginning outturn at 42.3%. It also had a staple length of 27.1mm, a micronaire value of 4.8 and a fibre strength of 28.6. The variety was identified as highly tolerant to cotton leaf curl virus (CLCuV).
Bt Cyto-535, approved in 2021, recorded a ginning outturn of 41.5%, a staple length of 28.4mm, a micronaire value of 3.97 and a fibre strength of 28.85. According to the documents, the variety possesses good fibre characteristics, large bolls and high-yield potential.
Cyto-537, released in 2023, also demonstrated strong fibre characteristics, recording a ginning outturn of 41%, a staple length of 28.3mm, a micronaire value of 3.8 and a fibre strength of 31.5. It was listed as a high-yielding variety with good fibre quality.
Cyto-226 recorded the highest staple length among the approved varieties at 29.6mm. Released in 2021, it achieved a ginning outturn of 40.3%, a micronaire value of 4.89 and a fibre strength of 28.44. The documents describe it as a high-yielding variety with good fibre traits.
The documents also highlight a strong emphasis on developing climate-resilient and pest-resistant cotton. Bt CIM-663, approved in 2021, was developed as a heat-tolerant, high-yielding variety with a ginning outturn of 40.2%, a staple length of 28.6mm, a micronaire value of 4.1 and a fibre strength of 30.4.
Bt CIM-678, also approved in 2021, was described as heat-tolerant, high-yielding, and characterised by early and uniform maturity.
Bt CIM-785 combined several desirable characteristics, including heat tolerance, bollworm resistance and high-yield potential. The variety recorded a ginning outturn of 40%, a staple length of 28.8mm, a micronaire value of 4.7 and a fibre strength of 31.2.
CIM-343 stood out for its fibre quality, recording the highest fibre strength of 33.5 among the approved varieties. Released in 2023, it was also identified as drought-tolerant and bollworm-resistant.
The three varieties approved from CCRI Sakrand strengthened Sindh’s contribution to Pakistan’s cotton improvement programme. Bt CRIS-682 and Bt CRIS-674, both approved in 2024, each recorded a ginning outturn of 38.5%. Bt CRIS-682 had a staple length of 28mm, a micronaire value of 4.7 and a fibre strength of 29.1, while Bt CRIS-674 recorded a staple length of 28.2mm, a micronaire value of 4.6 and a fibre strength of 29.3.
CRIS-644, the third variety from CCRI Sakrand, recorded a ginning outturn of 40.5%, a staple length of 28.4mm, a micronaire value of 4.4 and a fibre strength of 28.3. It was listed as a non-Bt, high-yielding variety.
