CARY, N.C., April 20, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An
international consortium, led by Professors Tianzhen Zhang from
Nanjing Agricultural University and Z.
Jeffery Chen of the University of Texas
at Austin, has made publicly available a high-quality draft
genome sequence of Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum).
This sequence of the species making up greater than 90 percent of
the world's spinnable cotton fiber builds upon previously published
genome sequences over the past two years.
"This genome sequence will significantly advance cotton research
to increase competitiveness with synthetic fibers and aid our
efforts to develop a gold standard assembly," said Dr. Chen.
The other lead collaborator, Dr. Tianzhen Zhang, said "these
results published in Nature Biotechnology will fuel
multi-disciplinary research and lead to development of improved
cotton varieties preferred by growers and the textile
industry."
Cotton production contributes significantly to economies in
numerous countries, and collaborative projects such as this help
increase such contributions. Dr. Don
Jones, Director of Agricultural Research at Cotton
Incorporated, said this sequence is another advancement for
improving the sustainability of cotton production. "This
accomplishment deepens our understanding of cotton biology and will
eventually lead to higher yield and improved fiber while reducing
inputs in a sustainable production system."
This research was achieved under a partnership between two
leading cotton research laboratories at Nanjing Agricultural
University and the University of Texas. Funding for Dr. Zhang
came from the Major State Basic Research Development Program of
China and for Dr. Chen from the
National Science Foundation, Cotton Incorporated, and the National
Natural Science Foundation of China.
A complementary sequencing effort, published in the same issue
of Nature Biotechnology, was spearheaded by the Chinese
Cotton Research Institute and USDA-ARS. These two efforts
will significantly enhance innovation in cotton by fostering
collaboration across disciplines and by accelerating plant breeding
in cotton, with the broad goal of improving the sustainability and
economic value from the farm to the consumer.
This sequence of Gossypium hirsutum is currently
deposited in GenBank. Data will also be available in
CottonGen in the near future.
About Cotton Incorporated
Cotton Incorporated, funded by U.S. cotton producers and
importers of cotton and cotton textile products, conducts worldwide
research and promotion activities to increase the demand for and
profitability of cotton.
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SOURCE Cotton Incorporated