Weaver believes a strong future for hybrid cotton in the U.S. will require a strong commitment similar to the one made by the Indian government. In the U.S., such a commitment wouldn't be expected from the government, but rather from a strong cottonseed company, such as Delta and Pine Land. Or perhaps a small company could put hybrids on the market, and that might get Delta and Pine Land interested. During the 1999 Beltwide Cotton Conference in Orlando, Fla., Weaver created something of a stir when he reported on his own studies showing that hybrid cottonseed could be easily produced on a large scale. Bees, especially bumblebees, provide the cross-pollination.
Bumblebees are effective because they are so big, and they carry more pollen.
This is because all herbicide-resistant genes are inherited as dominant traits, he explains. In fact, Roundup applied to Roundup Ready plants served as a far superior male gametocide than did other previously used chemicals, Weaver observed. Previously, finding a chemical to create male sterility has been a big obstacle in developing hybrid cotton on a commercial scale. In the case of Roundup, Weaver points out that Monsanto owns a patent on the use of Roundup as a gametocide. In one part of this research, Weaver actually crossed Roundup Ready varieties with BXN varieties and ended up with productive and fairly high-yielding hybrids that are resistant to both Roundup and Buctril.