China launches bioengineering project to revolutionize cotton farming

China has launched an ambitious bioengineering project to transform cotton cultivation in Xinjiang, with the support of the Department of Science and Technology of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. With an investment of 15 million yuan (approximately 12 million reais), the initiative aims to create a biological breeding platform that will allow local cotton varieties to be improved, making them more resistant to environmental stresses such as soil salinity and high temperatures. These resistance traits are challenging to achieve through traditional breeding methods, making genetic engineering an essential tool. The project, called “Analysis of Basic Agronomic Characteristics of Cotton Varieties and Molecular Design Improvement,” is led by the Economic Crops Research Institute of the Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences and is expected to last three years. This initiative is part of a series of five major scientific projects launched in the region in 2024, reflecting ...