Cotton Research and Development in Thailand
Parinya Sebunruang
psebunruang@yahoo.com
………………………………..
Production Situation
Thailand is one of the most
cotton importing countries. During 2005-2007, cotton growing decreased from
12,478 ha to 4,679 ha. Consequently, 398,840 million tons of cotton fiber was
imported in 2007 for textile industry.
A decrease in the growing area was due to low seed cotton price and high cost of pest control,
especially for insecticides. Since
2007, seed cotton production has decreased to 996 tons, with average yield of
1.33 tons ha-1. In 2007, number of cotton growers was
10,589, decreasing from 13,540 in 2005. The cotton production cost in 2007 was
468 US$ ha-1, slightly decreased
from 496 US$ ha-1
in 2005 while seed cotton price increased from
482 US$ ton-1
to 594 US$ ton-1,
resulting in higher profit to farmers (Table 1).
The
main problem of cotton production was continuous decrease in growing area due
to a high cost of production, low profit and competitive crops as well as big
pest problem. Thus, farmers grew
cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) in small areas of less than one hectare per
family and for their own use in handicraft textile. Last three years,
government’s policy encouraged farmers to grow the high-profit crops such as
sugarcane and cassava while the requirement of cotton for textile industry
increased. Therefore, more than 95% of total demand in cotton fiber was annually imported,
especially from USA, China, Australia and India.
At
present, most domestic cotton cultivars have medium staple fiber, but some farmers in some areas in the
North of Thailand still grow short staple fiber cultivars
( G. arboretum).
Most cotton fiber of them was used for handicraft textile, producing
such as clothes, fabric, scarf, pillow case.
Cotton research and
development
Since
1989, breeding project on long staple cotton variety (G. hirsutum)
had conducted at Nakhon Sawan Field Crops Research Center ( NSFCRC ),
thereafter in 2001 “Tak Fa 2” the first long staple cotton variety of Thailand , was
released for production. This
cultivar has good fiber quality for textile industry with 1.24-inch fiber length, 34 g tex-1 fiber bundle
strength, 3.4 micronaire fiber fineness, and 47 % fiber
uniformity. In addition,
this cultivar is resistant to virus leaf roll disease and can generally be
grown in cotton areas. It has been used as raw
material for handmade fabric industry in Takfa district since 2002, serving
government policy “One Tambon/Subdistrict, One Product” (OTOP).
However, cotton growing areas in
Thailand are still low because cotton requires intensive and good management
for insect pest control, especially for cotton bollworm (Heliothis amigera). The competitive crops are sugarcane,
cassava and maize as they need less management than cotton. Because of a limited scope of insect
pest resistant breeding project, cotton breeding
research of NSFCRC also focuses on value added fiber by developing natural
color fiber cultivar to encourage farmers in
growing cotton for their own use in handicraft textile and making local cotton products. Hand-made cotton fabric price is higher
than that of synthetic fiber especially in niche market.
Breeding
for natural color fiber cultivar began in 2000, the
long stable Takfa 2 cotton was crossed with a green and short staple cotton
cultivar; thereafter, selection and backcrossing to Tak Fa 2 for four
generations was made. In each backcrossing, seed was collected in bulk from
green lint cotton plants exhibiting the plant type of Takfa 2. The seeds of BC4F1 - BC4F5
were then sown for pedigree method of selection. In 2007, only 20 lines with good uniform green-lint
yield and plant type were selected, their mean fiber quality indicators were 24% ginning out turn, 1.24-inch fiber
length, 22 g tex-1 fiber bundle strength, 49 %
fiber uniformity.
These lines with uniformity
in good plant type and green fiber quality will be evaluated for yield potential
before release for use.
Due to a serious problem of insect pest damage, growing cotton in
a large area is impossible; thus, small area of natural color fiber production
for local consumption and hand-made product will be appropriate. Benefit in handicraft textile will
encourage farmers to grow cotton.
