Over a hundred years of cotton improvement research in the public sector environment provided a strong basis in the form of basic genetic material along with cataloguing of their utiUzable potential conventional breeding and heterosis breeding approaches to increase cotton production and also quality evaluation support of CIRCOTfor meeting the continuously changing quantitative and qualitative requirements of the textile industry. In the past three decades, the private seed sector and public sector R&Djointly created stability and self sufficiency in cotton output. But in the last one decade the development of new gene technology by Monsanto coupled with the active participation of the Indian private seed industry with the congenial cooperation andsupport ofthelCAR, DBT, MOE&Fand the SAUs in evaluation helped to establish the supremacy of India in cotton production, fibre quality and export potential of both raw cotton and cotton yarn and textiles. The challenges have now increased beyond imagination to plan for reaching the coveted number one position in cotton and textiles in the world in 21st century. In this context, the need for reorientation of cotton improvement models and strategies in practical perspectives for 21 st century cotton needshave been discussed in this paper. Particularly, the current constraints and future expectations, new crop improvement goals for 21st century, strategic research expectations, crop Improvement R&D in cotton, challenges to cotton breeders, new approach to cotton genetic resources, public-private sector partnerships in cotton improvement, effect of WTO - TRIPs regime on breeding, national fibre policy and supremacy of cotton's interests, breeder modification of cotton greenhouse footprints, new role of biotechnology, basic plant breeding research in cotton, ambitious & realistic MNC-Private sector programmes, control on too large disparity between cotton farmers-technology adoptionfor sustainable yield levels, cost of producing cotton, exclusive breeding efforts, cotton growing environments and production arrangements, and also aspects of naturally coloured tinted cottons and role of organic cotton production in Industry have been presented in an analytical manner.
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