Trial sowing of new cotton varieties (one Azerbaijani, one Turkish, and seven Pakistani varieties) has begun in Azerbaijan’s Imishli, Saatli, Sabirabad, and Beylagan regions, Trend reports concerning Azerbaijan’s Agriculture Ministry. According to the ministry, this experiment aims to identify seeds that are resistant to drought and diseases and with high yields. According to the Director of the Institute of Agrarian Problems of Azerbaijan’s National Academy of Sciences, Elchin Khalilov, such test crops have been carried out since 2021.
Khalilov further said, “At the same time, these cotton varieties have a more than 45 percent fiber yield. Trial sowing of seeds by districts is now being carried out.
The goal is to identify varieties that perform best in accordance with the regions, and it is planned to transfer to farms the seeds that correspond to the region.”
Historically, cotton production in Azerbaijan has been crucial to the national economy, accounting for approximately 25% of agricultural revenue. It occurs mainly in the area west of the Caspian Sea. Until the late 1980s, Azerbaijan was one of the world’s leading cotton producers, producing high yields of raw cotton up to 2.
5 tonnes/ha and gross annual production of 400–500 thousand tonnes. In 1999, seed cotton production amounted to 101,000 tonnes from 156,000 hectares (390,000 acres). Now the country is looking to increase its cotton production capacity.
Therefore, the current trial of new varieties is under test.
