New whitefly-resistant cotton variety successfully bred

As early as 2013, whitefly-resistant cotton varieties had already been successfully developed and were known to the scientific community, but in fact, until Indian farmland was caught off guard by a whitefly infestation this year, it had remained confined to the National Botanical Research Institute and had not truly been put into use.

In the experiment, cotton seeds were injected with a protein extracted from a medicinal plant that has insect-resistant properties, and were then cultivated in a greenhouse, ultimately producing a new whitefly-resistant cotton variety.

"We have already informed Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana of this research result, and the university has shown great interest in the new whitefly-resistant cotton variety," the Indian Prime Minister said. In addition, the Indian Cotton Research Centre in Nagpur was also notified, but they gave no further response.