Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Florence, South Carolina » Coastal Plain Soil, Water and Plant Conservation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #331240
Title: Divergent selection for fiber length and bundle strength and correlated responses in cotton

Author
item Hugie, Kari
item SMITY, C. WAYNE - Texas A&M University
item JOY, KOLBYN - Monsanto Corporation
item JONE, DON - Cotton, Inc

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/23/2016
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Cotton breeders must develop cultivars to meet the demand for longer, stronger, and more uniform fibers. In the current study, two cycles of divergent selection for fiber upper-half mean length (UHML) and bundle strength (Str) were conducted within five diverse parental combinations selected based on their potential for the genetic improvement of fiber quality. Realized heritability estimates for UHML and Str were calculated for each cycle, and correlated responses among fiber properties and lint percent (LP) were measured as they responded to selection for UHML and Str. The results suggest that early generation selection for UHML and Str is an effective strategy for the genetic improvement of fiber quality at College Station, Texas. Although UHML and Str were consistently negatively correlated with LP, the results demonstrate that sufficient variation for fiber quality exists within the Texas A&M AgriLife Research upland cotton germplasm to improve UHML and Str without a concomitant reduction in LP. A negative phenotypic correlation between UHML and fiber elongation (Elon) was also observed and was independent of the association between Str and Elon in multiple populations. These findings suggest that further investigation into the relationship between UHML and Elon within the Texas A&M AgriLife Research germplasm is warranted.