A New Cotton Variety with High Adaptation Ability and Fiber Quality Developed in Adana
A new cotton variety with high adaptation ability and fiber quality has been developed by the Eastern Mediterranean Agricultural Research Institute. At the institute, where variety development activities continue for many plants ranging from sunflower to wheat, soybean to pea and corn, most recently a study was carried out on cotton.
Within the scope of the study conducted in cooperation with the private sector, the new cotton variety “Galaxy 351” was registered by the Seed Registration and Certification Center affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and presented for the service of farmers.
“Galaxy 351,” whose adaptation capability and the values determining quality—such as ginning outturn, spinnability index, color, brightness, fiber length, fineness and breaking strength, which are important for the textile sector—are higher compared to its counterparts, can be harvested earlier.
“Our Variety Is in a Good Position in Terms of Quality Characteristics”
Institute Director İbrahim Cerit told the AA correspondent that “Galaxy 351” is the 45th cotton variety of the institute and the 114th of Türkiye. Stating that 18 percent of the total certified seed production in cotton in Türkiye belongs to their institute, Cerit expressed that they contribute approximately 700 million liras annually to the economy with this.
Emphasizing that the newly developed variety is at a level that can respond to the needs of the textile sector, Cerit said: “Quality parameters are quite important in cotton, especially in the textile sector. Among these quality parameters are fiber length, strength and fineness. Our variety is in a very good position compared to other varieties in terms of all these quality characteristics. Galaxy is a variety ecologically registered for the Southeastern Region, but since its adaptation capability is high, it is also a suitable variety for other cotton-producing regions of our country.”
Cerit stated that the varieties developed in cooperation with the private sector, in line with the current needs of farmers also provide patent income to the institute and the developer, and that this contributes to carrying out more new studies.
It Can Be Harvested Before Early Autumn Rains
Agricultural engineer Hacer Kaya Kocatürk stated that with Galaxy 351, which she developed, the number of varieties for which she holds patents has increased to three, and that she has also contributed to 36 varieties.
Noting that in addition to high adaptation, the new variety’s mid-early maturity provides an advantage during harvest, Kocatürk said: “You have the opportunity to harvest your cotton earlier compared to its counterparts. This is a very important feature. Because you harvest the cotton before the early autumn rains. Thus, you can harvest while preserving the elements that affect quality, such as color changes and contamination of the cotton, before they are deteriorated by rainfall. Therefore, being mid-early is an advantage for our variety.”
