The future implications of Saski's research in the short and long terms are both financial and holistic. Upland cotton, which accounts for more than 90 percent of cultivated cotton worldwide and has a global economic impact of $500 billion, is the main source of renewable textile fibers.
The genome sequence, unveiled in the scientific journal Nature Biotechnology, will provide the know-how to engineer superior lines that will clothe, feed and fuel the ever-expanding human population.