Central Institute For Cotton Research, Nagpur

Campus Location: Nagpur

Located in Cotton is cultivated in three distinct agro-ecological regions (north, central and south) of the country. India has the largest acreage (95.29 lakh.ha) under cotton at global level and has the productivity of 553 kg lint/ha and ranks second in production (310 lakh bales) during 2007-08. It contributes to 16% of the global cotton produce. Over the last 4 years cotton yield in India increased nearly by 50 per cent. The total availability of cotton in the country was 332 lakh bales in 2006-07 as compared to 272.17 lakh bales in 2004-05 while the demand as increased from 204.17 lakh bales in 2004-05 to 288 lakh bales in 2006-07.Approximately 65% of India's cotton is produced on dry land and 35% on irrigated lands. The northern zone is almost totally irrigated, while the percentage of irrigated area is much lower in the central (23%) and southern zones (40%). The lowest being in the central zone, which has nearly 60% of cotton area of our country. Under the rainfed growing conditions rainfall ranges from 900 mm coupled with aberrant precipitation patterns over the years leading to large-scale fluctuations in production. In the irrigated tract canal and well irrigation are resorted to including the use of micro-irrigation system.The north zone (Punjab, Haryana and Rajastan) occupies only 15.9% of the total cultivated area but contributes more than 18.5% of the production and varieties /hybrids (including Bt hybrids) limited to only G.hirsutum and G.arboreum. The central zone (Maharahtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat ), occupying more than 67.7% of the total area but contributes less than 60% to the total production and is characterized by rampant proliferation of hybrids. Bt technology has been extensively adopted in this region. The south zone (Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu) is typical of all types of cotton, hybrids (inter and intra-specific, diploid and tetraploid) and varieties (diploid and tetraploid). The south zone is occupying 15.3% of area and contributing nearly 16.3% in national production.Thus within a span of six years nearly 66.4% of the cotton area in India came under Bt hybrid umbrella Among the major Bt cotton-growing states Maharashtra leads the others with 26 lakh ha.(41 % of all Bt cotton in India in 2007) cotton followed by Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh with 13.0 (20.55%) and 10.0 lakh ha. (15.81%) respectively and Madhya Pradesh with 4.71 lakh ha (7.45%). Among the northern states the area was maximum in Punjab with 5.57 lakh ha. (8.80) followed by Haryana 2.79 lakh ha. (4.41). It is estimated that approximately 2.3 million small farmers cultivated on average 1.65 hectars of Bt cotton in 2006.Thus, it can be seen that the cultivation of Bt cotton hybrids has picked up momentum in the last two years and it is being cultivated in all the three cotton growing zones of the country., Keeping in view the importance of this crop in our national agricultural and economic scenario, it received special attention of the Government earlier through Indian Central Cotton Committee and now through the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.Further the research efforts under All India Coordinated Cotton Improvement Project. (AICCIP) were initiated by the Council in the year 1967. The establishment of AICCIP gave new fillip and direction in terms of multi- disciplinary and multi-centre approaches with the active involvement of State Agriculture Universities. With a view to develop a Centre of excellence for carrying out long term research on fundamental problems limiting cotton production and also to provide basic support to location specific applied research work being carried out in a network of cotton research centres in the country through the AICCIP system, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research has established the Central Institute for Cotton Research at Nagpur in April, 1976.The erstwhile Regional Station of lARl at Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) became a part of CICR simultaneously to cater to the needs of southern cotton zone. In the year 1985, the IARI Regional Station at Sirsa (Haryana) was transferred to CICR as a regional centre for the northern irrigated cotton zone., Vision, Improving production and quality of Indian Cotton (including the development of transgenics resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses) with reduced cost to make cotton production cost effective and competitive in the national and global market., Mission, To develop economically viable and eco-friendly production and protection technologies for enhancing quality cotton production by 2-3% every year on a sustainable basis for the next fifteen years (till 2025).. Use Google Maps for turn-by-turn driving directions to the campus.