Australian cotton varieties, which in recent years have earned a world reputation for quality and yield, are to go on sale to farmers in the heartland of "King Cotton", the cotton-growing areas of the southern United States.

The coals-to-Newcastle success story is the outcome of 30 years of cotton research by CSIRO, a strong commercial partnership with Australian industry through the farmer-owned company Cotton Seed International (CSI) and a powerful new research alliance formed with European crop protection and biotechnology giant AgrEvo.

The plan to put Aussie cotton genes into America's cotton jeans follows university trials in 1996 and this year in Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, Florida, Arizona and Texas in which the CSIRO cottons performed exceptionally well, says CSI general manager Mr Graham Windeatt.

"The CSIRO varieties were compared with the best US cotton types, and consistently gave top performance," he says. "Almost every farmer commented on the superior seedling vigour and quality of the Australian cotton."

"It means we can offer American cotton farmers varieties which are equal to their best in yield and are superior in quality in areas such as fibre length, strength and fineness."

The five varieties on sale include the highly successful okra-leaf types bred by CSIRO for their ability to discourage pests and for their efficient use of water.

The Aussie cottons will be bred and developed by ACSI, a joint venture between CSI and AgrEvo. Initially the seed will be grown in Australia, but from 1998 ACSI will begin seed production in the US for a market worth around $A200 million a year.

CSI is an Australian company with exclusive rights through Cotton Seed Distributors to market the CSIRO-bred cottons internationally.

High yields of the CSIRO cotton varieties in Australia have for some time attracted the attention of international cotton breeders, with the world's largest cotton seed company establishing a breeding programme in Australia. Inevitably this company will source the novel traits of the CSIRO germplasm base for their international programme, Mr Windeatt says.

"Recognising that the valuable traits are being exported was a critical factor in moving to the international market place ourselves," Mr Windeatt said. "By doing so, CSI can capture as much value for the Australian industry as possible".

The Chief of CSIRO Plant Industry, Dr Jim Peacock said that the new alliance between CSIRO, CSI and AgrEvo also offered great opportunities to develop cottons with superior pest resistance, quality and field performance for Australia's own cotton industry.

"The venture between CSIRO and CSI has helped a small Australian farmer-owned company become a major international player. This is a direct result of the growth in our $1.2 billion cotton industry - growth which has largely been stimulated by research.

"CSIRO's cotton varieties now account for more than nine tenths of all the cotton grown in Australia, and there is every chance they will be eagerly adopted by US cotton growers for the same reasons - yield and quality.

Dr Peacock says the strategic alliance with AgrEvo will bring additional biotechnology, crop protection and marketing skills to the partnership to make CSI and AgrEvo genuine international players in the cotton seed market.

"Essentially it means combining some of the world's most advanced crop protection technologies with some of the world's best cotton varieties - those bred in Australia."

CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Malcolm McIntosh welcomed the agreement between CSIRO and AgrEvo, which is an arm of the overall partnership, saying it offered great research opportunities which would benefit Australian farmers as well as a chance to commercialise superior Australian cotton varieties worldwide.

"The world economy has globalised, and Australia has become a player in the global market. Our success will depend, to a significant degree, on the sort of links we can forge which give access to the technologies we need and to the right markets," Dr McIntosh says.

CSI's Mr Windeatt says that Australian cotton is also being trialled alongside the best varieties in a number of other countries. Indications so far are very promising that other overseas markets besides the US will open.

More information:

Dr Jim Peacock, CSIRO 02 6246 5250
Mr Greg Fraser, AgrEvo 03 9248 6666
Mr Graham Windeatt, CSI 067 954 208
Dr Malcolm McIntosh, CSIRO 02 6276 6621