Cotton leaf curl virus is likely to play havoc with the crop as the virus is responsible for damage to crop in Pakistan amounting to US five billion dollar from 1992 to 1997, said Professor Dr Rob W. Briddon, an American scientist. Briddon who is also a member of HEC Foreign Faculty and working with NIBGE was addressing an international conference titled 'Breeding Crops for Stressed Environment', arranged by the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture Faisalabad.
The session was presided over by UAF Vice Chancellor, Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan while Director General, Ayub Agriculture Research Institute, Dr Noor-ul-Islam was the chief guest on the occasion. Briddon said that the virus broke out in 1967 and entered first time in Pakistan in 1988 in Multan because of American cotton variety named S12. Speaking about the origin of the virus, he informed the audience that its comes in any country through transportation.
Elaborating, he said that if a person travels from any country to other country, the virus also travels through his luggage like laptop, and adopters, becoming the cause of damage to the crop of the guest country. He revealed that various viruses that caused a loss to cotton and tomatoes crops in Multan, Indian city Karnatak, Alahabad, Rajistan and Banglore had changed their face in the form of a new virus that might cause reduction in the crop.
He said another 'Guzeria virus' in Pakistan originates from North Africa. In his address, Vice Chancellor UAF, Professor Dr Iqrar stressed the need to transform new techniques and technologies to the farmers and civil society to increase the per capita production of our country. He informed the university is in the process of revisiting its past 50 years glory, and has chalked out a progressive agenda through holding a series of national and international event and the conference is also part of it.
He said 'we have a good reason to showcase our strength by celebrating golden jubilee as whatever we produced in last 50 years now, set to gain it in only one decade'. He said that to meet the challenges of agriculture, we have to go a long way. Keeping in view the challenges, the varsity has expedited its effort in the field of research and education, he added.
Dr Noor-ul-Islam said the country has made tremendous development in the field of agriculture. He said that at the time of partition, the country had only nine flourmills, two sugarcane mills, 14 ginning mills, two textile mills, three oil mills and zero rice mills. But now, it has 915 flourmills, 82 sugarcane mills, 2,000 ginning mills, 521 textile mills, 88 oil mills and 494 rice mills. He added that in 1947, cropped area was 11.61mha and now it is 23.8mha.
He informed said that the Ayub Agriculture Research Institute has introduced 398 varieties of crops since its establishment. He said that the institute invented 72 varieties of crops, 46 of cotton, 20 varieties of rice, 27 of pulse and 20 varieties of maize. He said that their per capita availability is highest than that of last 50 years. Department's chairman, Abdul Islam apprised the audience about the performance of the department and stressed the need to use improved quality of seeds.