Hopes for a Cotton Revival in Malwa: Farmers Set Their Sights on Punjab’s New Indigenous Variety, PBD88
Developed by the Punjab Agricultural University, the new non-Bt indigenous cotton variety, PBD88, holds the potential to give a new direction to cotton cultivation in Punjab's Malwa region this Kharif season. At a time when the state is grappling with the twin challenges of continuously shrinking cotton acreage and rising cultivation costs, this variety has emerged as a beacon of hope for farmers.
Over four years of rigorous testing and field trials, PBD88 has captured the attention of scientists due to its superior attributes, such as higher yields, lower cultivation costs, and pest resistance. According to experts, the fiber derived from indigenous cotton varieties also holds significant commercial value within the pharmaceutical industry.
Paramjit Singh—a crop breeder at the Bathinda-based Regional Research Centre and the lead scientist behind this variety—stated that PBD88 yields approximately 11 quintals per acre. This output is 1–2 quintals higher than that of traditional indigenous varieties and is considered comparable to the average yield of hybrid cotton varieties.
He noted that over the past few years, cotton acreage in Punjab has declined sharply due to infestations of the pink bollworm and whitefly, as well as adverse weather conditions. However, trials have demonstrated that PBD88 is relatively less susceptible to the pink bollworm. Consequently, farmers in the semi-arid regions are being encouraged to adopt this new indigenous variety.
The state's cotton acreage plummeted from 2.52 lakh hectares in 2021 to a mere 95,000 hectares in 2024. However, the area expanded to 1.2 lakh hectares in 2025, and the Department of Agriculture has now set a target of 1.5 lakh hectares for 2026.
Experts emphasize that the most significant advantage of PBD88 is its cost-effective cultivation. While traditional varieties typically require approximately six rounds of manual picking, the harvest of this variety can be completed with just three rounds of picking. Furthermore, due to its resistance to several major pests, farmers' expenditure on pesticides may also decrease.
According to the State Agriculture Department, more than 100 quintals of PBD88 seeds have been made available to farmers for the first season. Approximately 3 kilograms of seeds per acre is sufficient for sowing this variety. It is among the select cotton varieties for which the Punjab government has announced a 33 percent subsidy.
Vijay Kumar stated that the objective behind promoting indigenous cotton varieties is not to completely replace Bt cotton, but rather to introduce diversity into farming practices. According to him, indigenous cotton possesses natural resistance against pests such as the whitefly and diseases like leaf curl.
He also pointed out that in many non-hybrid varieties, cotton bolls tend to break off and fall if harvesting is delayed, resulting in losses for farmers. However, this issue has been observed to a lesser extent in PBD88, thereby ensuring greater security for the farmers' yield.
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