New Pima cotton interest could bring cotton fungus to Texas Plains

The Texas Plains cottongrowing region is not known for raising Pima varieties of cotton, but an increasing interest in the crop has Texas A&M AgriLife officials concerned the newcomer will bring with it a yieldlimiting fungus that could be introduced to the larger Upland cotton growing area.

Fusarium wilt of cotton race 4, known as FOV4, has had a very limited impact on Texas cotton so far. In …