Cotton Genomics and Genetics 2025, Vol.16, No.2, 80-94 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/cgg 81 global warming and pest outbreaks have led to a decline in global cotton production in recent years, endangering the safety of the textile industry (Crossley et al., 2023). In addition, the cotton industry also involves complex social issues, including the fragility of smallholder livelihoods and insufficient protection of labor rights. Based on the above background, governments, scientific research institutions and industry organizations are increasingly paying attention to the sustainable transformation of cotton production and conducting many practical explorations. This study aims to systematically sort out the key areas and best practices of sustainable cotton cultivation, including agronomic, socio-economic, technical and policy initiatives, and provide empirical evidence through the case of Gujarat, India, and finally propose directions and suggestions for promoting the sustainable development of global cotton in the future. 2 Best Agronomic Practices 2.1 Integrated pest management (IPM) The sustainability of cotton cultivation depends first on the improvement of field management measures. Traditional cotton farmers rely heavily on chemical pesticides to control pests such as bollworms and aphids, which has led to high control costs and ecological risks. Sustainable cultivation emphasizes the use of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, combining insect-resistant varieties, biological control and scientific pesticide use to reduce the use of chemical pesticides. Since the end of the 20th century, the promotion of genetically modified insect-resistant cotton has significantly reduced the dependence on pesticides in cotton fields. In China, the commercial cultivation of insect-resistant cotton (Bt cotton) has reduced the total amount of pesticides used in the country by about 2.19 million tons from 1997 to 2012, and farmers have saved $8.46 billion in pesticide expenses (Qiao and Huang, 2020). India and other countries have also adopted Bt cotton on a large scale. Currently, about 93% of cotton fields in India are planted with insect-resistant cotton varieties (Nagaraj et al., 2024). The application of insect-resistant cotton has significantly suppressed the damage caused by major leaf-eating pests such as cotton bollworm, achieving a win-win situation of increased production and income and reduced pesticide use. However, over-reliance on a single insect-resistant gene also brings the hidden danger of resistance of insect-resistant organisms. In response to the resistance of pink bollworm to Bt protein, researchers from various countries are exploring new strains and composite resistance strategies, such as the use of multiple insect-resistant gene stacking (gene pyramid) and new RNA interference technology to control resistant pests. Biological control is also an important part of IPM. For example, planting attractant crops (such as corn, hibiscus, etc.) in cotton fields can induce pest concentration, which is conducive to subsequent prevention and control; releasing natural enemy insects such as lacewings and seven-spotted ladybugs to prey on aphids; setting up pheromone traps to interfere with the mating cycle of cotton bollworms. These ecological strategies have achieved good results in practice. For example, a sustainable cotton project in Gujarat, India, guided farmers to intercrop green manure and corn between cotton rows to attract beneficial insects and suppress pests, set up bird perches and sex attractant traps, and the use of chemical pesticides in cotton fields was significantly reduced (Yadav et al., 2009). At the same time, local cotton farmers mastered pest and disease monitoring and precision application techniques through training, and selected high-efficiency and low-toxic pesticides when necessary and applied them correctly, thereby reducing the impact on non-target organisms and the environment. Scientific crop rotation is also an effective means to prevent the accumulation of soil-borne pests and diseases. Chen et al. (2025) showed that compared with long-term continuous cropping of cotton, the rotation of cotton and legumes can break the pest life cycle and improve the soil biological community, which helps to reduce the incidence of pests and diseases in cotton fields. The implementation of integrated pest management not only reduces the environmental load, but also reduces the input costs of cotton farmers. For example, farms that follow the agronomic practices of the Better Cotton Initiative use 47% less pesticides on average than conventional farms, and because of the reduced chemical inputs, a cost-benefit ratio of 1:2.3 is achieved, increasing the income of cotton farmers (Makhdum et al., 2012). 2.2 Soil health management Soil is the foundation of cotton production, and maintaining soil fertility and ecological functions is essential for sustained high yields. For a long time, unreasonable farming and continuous cropping of cotton fields have led to
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