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The cultivated Gossypium spp. represents the most important, natural fibre crop in the world. Breeding for high cotton yield is still the primary goal of cotton breeding programs, but improving fibre quality has become increasingly important. The enhancement of fibre quality traits like fibre length, strength, and fibre fineness is an essential requirement for the modern textile industry. The objective of this study was to facilitate the selection in cotton breeding program and estimate the general combining ability (GCA) of the parents and specific combining ability (SCA) of hybrids considered for the development of high yielding and better fiber quality in early generations. The study was carried out at cotton research area, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar (India) during 2014 and 2015 kharif season. Fifteen cotton lines (which have maximum diversity) and four testers (which are known as well adapted and high yielding) were crossed in a line x tester mating design in 2014. Nineteen genotypes and 60 F1 hybrids were planted in the randomized complete block design with three replications at the same experimental area in 2015. The ratio of δ2 GCA /δ2 SCA was less than unity for all the nine characters indicating preponderance of non-additive gene action (dominance and epistasis), which is an important in exploitation of heterosis through hybrid breeding. The best general combining ability was detected from the parent H1470 for seed cotton yield, H1464 and H1098-i for fiber quality traits. SCA was significant for AC726 x H1236, ISR12 x H1226, HR1 x H1117 hybrid combinations for yield and fiber quality. The crosses H1470 x H1236 and H1470 x H1098-i were reported good heterosis for seed cotton yield as well as for fibre quality, selected the best hybrids were H1464 x H1098-i and H1463 x H1226. These cross combinations involved at least one parent with high or average GCA effect for a particular trait. The cross combination involving H1470, H1098-i and H1464 parents’ recorded significant positive heterosis with acceptable SCA effect for both yield and fibre quality parameters. This investigation concluded that the parents H1470, H1098-i and H1464 can be used in hybrid development programme with better fibre quality.

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The present investigation was carried out during 2015 and 2016 at Research Farm of Cotton Section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar to study the impact of weather parameters on seed development in desi cotton under varying environmental conditions. The experiment was comprised of three varieties of desi cotton namely, HD 123, HD 324 and HD 432 planted under three environmental conditions (early, normal and late sown).The results revealed that seed development as indicated by germination, protein content, gossypol content and seed vigour was affected significantly by delayed sowing. The seed quality parameters of April sown cotton crop were maximum except gossypol content.The cotton seed of variety HD 432 recorded the highest seed vigour and germination (54.49%) while the lowest values were observed in cotton seed of variety HD 123 (49.5%). Cotton seed vigour development was correlated with weather parameters prevailed during seed development phase pooled for both seasons. Weather factors and thermal indices had positive correlation with seed vigour protein content and germination except maximum temperature which was negatively associated whereas this response was reverse in case of gossypol content of cotton seeds.

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