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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #358695
Research Project: Development of Economically Important Row Crops that Improve the Resilience of U.S. Agricultural Production to Present and Future Production Challenges

Location: Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research

Title: Comparison of hydrocarbon yields in SA-2269 cotton grown in four test plots in Texas and Utah

Author
item ADAMS, ROBERT - Baylor University
item TEBEEST, AMY - Baylor University
item Ulloa, Mauricio
item SCOW, BENJAMIN - Utah State University
item Frelichowski, James - Jim
item Hinze, Lori

Submitted to: Phytologia
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/20/2018
Publication Date: 12/21/2018
Citation: Adams, R.P., Tebeest, A.K., Ulloa, M., Scow, B., Frelichowski, J.E., Hinze, L.L. 2018. Comparison of hydrocarbon yields in SA-2269 cotton grown in four test plots in Texas and Utah. Phytologia. 100(4):199-204.

Interpretive Summary: There is an interest in biofuel production as an alternative to fossil fuels that are a finite resource. Even though cotton is the most important renewable natural fiber, cotton may be a source of biofuels. However, there are limit data on the production of hydrocarbons as fuel from cotton. Therefore, scientists from Baylor University, Utah State University and USDA-ARS (Lubbock and College Station, Texas) studied the production of hydrocarbons by one cotton variety at four locations (College Station, TX, Lubbock, TX, Oslo, TX, and Hurricane, UT). This study revealed that extreme drought stress can induce the higher synthesis of free hydrocarbons in cotton accession, SA-2269. However, the trade-off is the lack of biomass production under extreme drought stress. In addition, traits such as high HC yield associated with plant stress or drought could also allow researchers or breeders to select/identify more efficiently for superior cotton with improved tolerance or sensitivity to drought.

Technical Abstract: Cotton accession, SA-2269, was grown in test plots at College Station, TX, Lubbock, TX, Oslo, TX and Hurricane, UT in 2017 to compare the environmental effects on leaf biomass, % yield of hydrocarbons (HC), and total HC (g HC /g leaves) under natural growth conditions. Very highly significant differences in g dry weight (DW) 10 leaves, % yield HC and g HC/ g DW 10 leaves were found among the test plots. Declines in leaf biomass and g HC/ g DM 10 leaves declined as expected in the drier plots. However, the arid plot at Hurricane, UT, in the northeast Mojave Desert, had very high significantly larger % yield HC (8.03%), supporting the theory that drought stress can induce the synthesis of chemicals in cotton.