Mining Cotton Germplasm Resources to Fight Cotton Leaf Curl Virus

An ongoing project funded by USAID and USDA to identify sources of resistance to Cotton Leaf Curl Virus (CLCuV) was only possible because of the resources available through the NPGS cotton collection. The Collection accessions available, combined with winter nursery seed increase capabilities, GRIN database information and especially the recent addition of standardized descriptor data and digital images, made possible a rapid coordinated CLCuV screening program. CLCuV is a major threat to cotton production in Pakistan and parts of India and has been reported in cotton producing countries in Africa, as well as China and Uzbekistan. This project to identify sources of resistance to CLCuV, helps not only countries such as Pakistan where the virus is already a problem, but also makes resistant germplasm available, should CLCuV become a threat to cotton production in other countries. The results of the project and current status of the resistant sources identified will be reported.