I do not know about a study comparing genetically engineered cotton vs.
sustainably grown cotton. I have been looking for some time now for a study
comparing conventionally grown cotton to organic cotton, but I did not find
it. Does anyone know about such a study or about any study supplying
detailed information on pesticide, fertilizer and water use in
conventionnally grown cotton?
It seems to me that, rather than comparing conventional cotton to
sustainably grown cotton or organic cotton, it would be more interesting to
compare it to other fiber crops such as flax or hemp. In France
conventional farmers grow hemp, pesticide use is 63 g/ha of active
ingredient (a seed dressing), in Hungary and Ukraine even the seed dressing
is not used. No need for herbicides as the crop is dense and suppresses
weeds, no pest and disease problems, so no need for other pesticides.
Recent research in the Netherlands has shown that hemp suppresses some
major soil-borne pathogens. This may seem too good to be true, but once one
has seen the evidence (a number of papers documenting these findings have
been published recently) hemp obviously is an interesting crop for
sustainable farming systems. The same goes for flax, although it does
require some pesticides and yields are lower than those of hemp. However,
its fibers are finer than those of hemp, which is an asset.
Would any "cotton expert" be interested in making a cotton vs. hemp
analysis, please contact me.
Hayo van der Werf.
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Hayo van der Werf.
Institut National de Recherche Agronomique, Station d'Agronomie,
28 rue de Herrlisheim, BP 507, 68021 Colmar, France.
Tel. +33 8972 4949, fax +33 8972 4933, Email vdwerf@colmar.inra.fr
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