Longer, stronger, more uniform fibers. Industry Impact Speed up commercialization of gene discovery and manipulation. More competitive textile industry through higher processing efficiencies.
Improved quality makes U.S. cotton textiles more attractive exports.
Approaches Determine why certain seed coat cells become fiber cells while others do not. Identify genes that affect fiber properties. Provide molecular markers that can be used in breeding cotton. Provide a physical map of the sequenced genes. Develop a database to manage this information and to provide access to industry research partners.