ISLAMABAD: Two top scientists from US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service are in Islamabad this week to lead the annual review of the US-Pakistan Cotton Productivity Enhancement Programme. The primary goal of the programme is to study the cotton leaf curl virus and promote best management practices of the virus, as well as identify new sources of resistance. The study of cotton leaf curl virus is crucial in Pakistan, since the disease can cause major losses to the country’s cotton industry, both threatening economic stability and food security. The dynamic programme is an international collaboration with a consortium of Pakistani government and university research facilities, USDA, and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas. Dr Brian Scheffler, USDA’s Lead Scientist for the programme, described some of the groundbreaking research that has been done under the programme: “This partnership has identified new sources of resistance in cultivated cotton, which will be critical to maintaining long-term virus resistance while ensuring high levels of production. Under this programme, the scientific team is developing laboratory diagnostic tests to confirm the presence of CLCV and distinguish it from other viruses with similar symptoms.” Dr Jodi Scheffler, USDA’s Cotton Productivity Enhancement Programme Coordinator, also noted, “So far thousands of small farmers in Pakistan have participated in trainings on best management practices for cotton production under this programme. Employing practices that decrease the prevalence of the virus in the field will lengthen the time the resistant varieties remain effective.” Both scientists remarked on the success of the monitoring techniques used by the Pakistani scientists to track the spread of cotton leaf curl virus and the “excellent” cooperation they observed among research institutes in Pakistan. Agriculture is Pakistan’s second largest sector, accounting for over 21 percent of GDP.