Background:
In the journey from fiber to fabric of white cotton large quantity of water and hazardous chemicals are being used for bleaching and dyeing purposes, which pollute the environment and affect the human health. The textile effluents are often discharged with hazardous heavy metals into rivers and lakes making water unfit for consumption, which also impose threat to ground water. Also, there are reports of allergic reactions to the synthetic or dyed fabric. Though natural coloured cotton can reduce these adverse effects to some extent, they are presently not commercially cultivated due to their poor fiber properties and low yield. Efforts were taken up to improve the yield potential and fiber properties of brown coloured cotton to develop commercially viable genotype. To make these ecofriendly coloured cotton commercially viable; research efforts need to be directed for the genetic improvement of fiber quality and uniform colour.:
Technology Details:
DMB-225 is similar to cotton varieties, Abadhitha and Sahana with respect to morphological traits, cultivation practices, pest and disease tolerance except for lint, fuzz and seed colour which is medium brown instead of white in Abadhitha and Sahana. It is commercially viable for cultivation owing to yield improvement and textile industry owing to fiber quality improvement. Brown coloured fabrics and garments can be produced without the use of carcinogenic chemical dyes, hence ecofriendly and has great market potential:
Note:
• DMB-225 should be cultivated in isolation from white cotton with minimum isolation distance of 300 meters under contract farming:
• The harvested kapas should be ginned in the cultivated area:
• The seed should be crushed and the pilferage of the seed out of the contract farming area should be strictly prohibited: