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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Mississippi State, Mississippi » Crop Science Research Laboratory » Genetics and Sustainable Agriculture Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #74720

Title: INTROGRESSION OF DAY-NEUTRAL GENES IN PRIMITIVE COTTON ACCESSIONS: I. GENETIC VARIANCES AND CORRELATIONS

Author
item McCarty, Jack
item Jenkins, Johnie
item ZHU, J - MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The collection of primitive accessions of Upland cotton contain genetic diversity. However, because many of the accessions are photoperiodic and will not flower during summer months in the southern U.S., this diversity is not readily useable by plant breeders. Sixteen of the primitive accessions were crossed to the variety Deltapine 16 and plants with day-neutral flowering habit were selected. These plants were then backcrossed four times to their respective primitive accession parent and selected for day neutrality following each backcross and advanced to the F5 generation. The resulting day-neutral F5 generations for the 16 accessions were evaluated for agronomic and fiber traits for three years. The objective was to determine genetic variances and correlations for the traits studied. Variation of accession generation was significant for all traits studied. The main effect of accessions or generations was significant. However, the magnitude was relatively small compared to the interaction variation. Lint yield had significant but small positive phenotypic correlations with lint percentage, boll size, and 2.5% span length. Highly significant positive correlations were found for effects of accession, generation, and accession generation between lint yield and lint percentage. This study should aid plant breeders in the utilization of primitive accessions of cotton.

Technical Abstract: The collection of primitive accessions of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., contain genetic diversity. However, because many of the accessions are photoperiodic, this diversity is not readily useable by plant breeders. Sixteen accessions were crossed to Deltapine 16 and progeny with day-neutral flowering habit were selected in the F2 generation. These progeny were then backcrossed four times to their respective primitive accession parent and selected for day neutrality in the F2 following each backcross and advanced to the F5. The resulting day-neutral progenies (F5, BC1F5, BC2F5, BC3F5, and BC4F5) for the 16 accessions were evaluated for agronomic and fiber traits for three years. The objective of the present study was to determine genetic variances and correlations for the traits studied. Variation of accession generation was highly significant for all traits studied. Main effect of accessions or generations was significant. However, the magnitude was relatively small compared to the interaction variation. Lint yield had significant but small positive phenotypic correlations with lint percentage, boll size, and 2.5% span length, but not with the other traits studied. Highly significant positive correlations were found for effects of accession, generation, and accession generation between lint yield and lint percentage.