Dr. Carl V. Feaster, a retired research agronomist and breeder, is the recipient of the 2009 Cotton Genetics Research Award.
Dr. Feaster's career in cotton agricultural research spanned almost 40 years as a research agronomist, professor of Plant Sciences at the University of Arizona and research leader, Cotton Breeding and Production Unit of USDA's Agricultural Research Service in Phoenix, Ariz.
During his career in Phoenix, Dr. Feaster and his team developed and released six commercial varieties of American Pima cotton, and Feaster himself also made 225 germplasm releases. The Gossypium Barbadense collection is a valuable tool in breeding for molecular markers.
Major Impact On Pima Cotton
"It is not an exaggeration to say that had it not been for Dr. Feaster and his USDA cotton breeding program, there would not be an Extra-Long Staple (ELS) cotton industry in the United States today," says one of the nominators, Jesse Curlee, president of Phoenix-based Supima, an organization dedicated to promoting the use of American Pima cotton worldwide.
"The respect and admiration that Dr. Feaster has earned from the scientific community, as well as the entire cotton supply chain – producer, ginner, shipper/merchant and textile manufacturer, is an indication of his major contribution to this industry."
Curlee says each succeeding Pima variety released has shown improvements in both yield and fiber properties. He says average yields for American Pima cotton were in the range of 400 pounds per acre when Dr. Feaster began his Phoenix-based breeding program.
However, his last official release, Pima S-7, has ranged from 1,000 to 1,800 pounds per acre in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Also, production of American Pima cotton has increased from an average of 85,00 bales in the 1970s to a five-year average from 2004-2008 of 684,000 bales – a 700 percent increase.
article source : cottonfarming
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