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Present status and prospects on conservation and promotion of Comilla cotton (Gossypium arboreum race cernuum) cultivation in the Garo hills region of Northeastern India

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Abstract

Cotton grown in the Garo hills of Meghalaya, India, belongs to the Indian cotton species, Gossypium arboreum race cernuum and this cotton is popularly known as Comilla cotton or Assam Comilla. It is cultivated under traditional jhum cultivation in a mixed cropping system with 10–15 crops in a single piece of land. The cernuum race is bestowed with many desirable traits for utilizing in introgression breeding and fibre quality traits for utilizing as surgical cotton. The area under Comilla cotton is declining due to multiple production and marketing constraints, and no focused research efforts were made in this race. Thus, this study was planned to understand traditional production systems, constraints, preferred traits, and future strategies to conserve and enhance the production of Comilla cotton. Various participatory rural appraisal techniques, namely semi-structured questionnaires, key informant interviews, focused group discussions, transect walks, and informal discussions, were conducted in nine Comilla cotton growing villages of Dadenggre and Rongram blocks of the West Garo hills district of Meghalaya. The data were collected from the 171 Comilla cotton-growing households. Data generated from different approaches were analyzed using the SAS package. The study revealed that small and marginal farmers depend on this cotton as a significant commercial crop under jhum cultivation. The seed system was 100% informal in nature. The most critical constraints were the non-availability of seeds, low-yielding cultivars, weed menace, the incidence of pests and diseases, and poor soil fertility. The farmers' preferred traits were high-yielding cultivars, insect pest tolerance, early maturity, big boll types, and easy harvest types. The present study also revealed farmers' traditional knowledge of utilizing various equipments, pest, disease management and conservation of seeds.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Director, ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR), Nagpur, and The Dean, College of Community Sciences, Tura (Central Agricultural University Imphal) Meghalaya, for the encouragement and support during the study. The help rendered by the Department of Agriculture, Dadenggre block, Govt. of Meghalaya, in selecting villages for this study is acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Community Science, Central Agricultural University, Tura, Meghalaya, 794005, India

    Hanamaraddi Kencharaddi, S. T. Pavan Kumar, Siknora Marak, Jyoti Vastrad & Samborlang. K. Wanniang

  2. ICAR- Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur, Maharashtra, 441108, India

    G. I. Ramkrushna

  3. ICAR- Central Tobacco Research Institute, Research Station, Hunsur, Karnataka, 571105, India

    J. J. Rajappa

  4. ICAR - Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), Hyderabad, Telangana, 500059, India

    H. B. Santosh

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  1. Hanamaraddi Kencharaddi
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HGK-Main author and wrote main text, GIR-wrote main text and reviewed manuscript PST- statistical analysis SM-survey and data collection JV-drafted text SKW-data collection and FDG RJJ- reviewed manuscript SHB-prepared figures and reviewed manustrcipt

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Correspondence to Hanamaraddi Kencharaddi.

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Kencharaddi, H., Ramkrushna, G.I., Pavan Kumar, S.T. et al. Present status and prospects on conservation and promotion of Comilla cotton (Gossypium arboreum race cernuum) cultivation in the Garo hills region of Northeastern India. Genet Resour Crop Evol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-024-01959-8

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