UA Helps Cotton Crops Thrive

Next time you pull on your favorite cotton sweats, polo or T-shirt, thank The University of Arizona. In the 1950s, UA scientists genetically enhanced long-staple Pima Cotton that is softer and wears longer than shorter fibers. More recently, researchers from the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences and BIO5 tested biotech cotton that produces Bt toxin, a natural insecticide. A just-completed two-year study found that Bt cotton kills the pink bollworm, a major threat to the cotton harvest, which reduces insecticide sprays and keeps yields high. That’s good news for the environment – and Arizona’s cotton farmers.