MARSHALL — Wiley College has received a $198,660 grant to conduct research on cotton production.

And the institution will use the money to establish a research laboratory.

“When I came here I wanted Wiley to have a modern molecular technology lab,” biology professor Zhengdao Wu said. “We had all the equipment, but we did not have a loan to set the equipment up.”

Wu said he was worried about receiving the funding because the college had no background in the field of scientific research.

“You had to get some funding to initiate the research, and once you initiate and get results, then it is easier to apply for additional funding. However, the initial funding is very difficult,” Wu said.

Wu, who came to Wiley College from Alabama, has spent 10 years dedicated to the research of cotton fibers.

“Cotton crop is a very important crop. Fiber comes from cotton, and the United States is one of the largest cotton producers in the world.”

Wu said the cotton industry has more than 300,000 employees, and generates $166 billion in revenue annually in the United States.

Wu said the quality of cotton is rapidly declining.

Out of the 52 cotton species, only two are considered dominant when it comes to cultivating fiber, he said.

“It is a problem. People are always trying to do cross-cotton breeding. We have tried to create a species for improvement with high quality, but it is never a success,” Wu said.