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Title: Genetics of the ovule fiberless and foliar glabrous traits in the Gossypium arboreum germplasm line in PI 529740

Author
item Erpelding, John
item Turley, Rickie

Submitted to: Asian Journal of Plant Sciences
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/23/2013
Publication Date: 12/1/2013
Citation: Erpelding, J.E., Turley, R.B. 2013. Genetics of the ovule fiberless and foliar glabrous traits in the Gossypium arboreum germplasm line in PI 529740. Asian Journal of Plant Sciences. 3:5-8.

Interpretive Summary: Determining the genes responsible for fiber development on seeds and the development of hairs on leaves and stems is important for breeding new upland cotton varieties. Mutations in the genes controlling these traits can result in plants with no fiber on the seeds (fiberless) and no hairs on the leaves or stems (glabrous). One variety from the Gossypium arboreum germplasm collection was identified as having fiberless seeds and glabrous leaves and stems. This variety was used as a parent in crosses with two other Gossypium arboreum varieties having seeds with fiber and leaves and stems with hairs. Populations developed from the offspring of the crosses were evaluated for the fiberless and glabrous traits to determine the number of genes controlling these traits. More than 800 plants were evaluated from the populations, and all plants with fiberless seeds also had glabrous leaves and stems suggesting a single gene controlled the traits. The results of this study are important for the identification of the specific gene controlling the traits to determine the mutational changes in the gene, which will enhance our understanding of how fibers develop on seeds and hairs develop on leaves and stem to improve the breeding of new cotton varieties.

Technical Abstract: Accession PI 529740 from the Gossypium arboreum (G. arboreum) germplasm collection and characterized by fiberless seeds and glabrous leaves and stems was crossed with two G. arboreum accessions, PI 417890 or PI 529729, to develop F2 populations for genetic analysis. Segregation data indicated these traits were all conferred by a single recessive gene. More than 800 F2 plants were evaluated across the two populations and no recombinants were observed; thus, it is unknown whether a single gene or tightly linked genes conferred the fiberless and glabrous phenotypes. The fiberless and glabrous traits also segregated independently of corolla color, petal spot, and stem color.