"Dennis G." wrote in message
...
"Dr. Klaus Eimert" wrote:

(...)
For me, this "case" just smells of ploitics (in a negative sense) and
mismanagement. The problem here does not seem to be the GM crops per se,
but the apparently irresponsible forecasts for the harvest.
Unfortunately, this case will probably be (ab)used in the already
emotionally overcharged discussion about GM crops.
Just my 2 cents.
Cheers,
Klaus

http://www.hindustantimes.com/2003/F...1,00020002.htm

There doesn't appear to be much science behind the failure claims.

There is a study from Februeary on 2001 crop results. It is all over the
net but
you could start at:
http://www.ncpa.org/iss/env/2003/pd021103f.html

The failed cotton in India was due to dry weather. I have rasied cotton in
moisture limited condition all my life and many factors affect the yield in
these conditions that are not obvious. They boil down to two factors. The
first is if the drought come late in the season the varieties that load up
first and hold the most bolls early will do the best. The second if the
drought comes late or in the middle of the season the varieties that have
the optimum load of fruit for the weather will do the best because after a
certain point in the drought when it rains the cotton will through off all
the immature bolls and try to start over, a possess that takes about 6
weeks.

In dry summers cotton the suffers 80% damage by boll worms that cause the
cotton to abort the bolls before they start to draw resources from the pant
may fair much better than cotton that holds 75 or 80% of its fruit and
doesn't have the moisture to mature it.

It is very common in southwest Oklahoma for one days planting to make more
than any other day of the year. That the day that cotton has the most bolls
that it can hold when it rains with out throwing them off and have the most
time before the cool weather in the fall stops the development of the
cotton. The period may by as short as 4 days. Of course there is no way to
know what the correct day is in advance and it is usually late in the season
when there is no chance of replanting if it gets rained out.

Making judgments on cotton yields affected by drought is a fruitless
pursuit. That tell you little except how the cotton will perform in a
drought very much like the one you observed.

I know both farmers that from our land grip about the price but won't buy
anything but GM cotton seed. Both are planing substantial no till cotton
this year. Not only for the cost reductions but to stop erosion and build
organic matter in the soil. The farmer on my home place is very good on
legume rotations keeping about a third of the place in at any one time.

Gordon