A Comparison of Three Isolines of Cotton Differing in Fiber Color for Yield, Quality, and Photosynthesis

Abstract

Naturally colored cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) fibers (CCFs) are eco‐friendly for the textile industry because they omit the dyeing process and reduce harmful effluent liquor. However, the low yield and quality of CCFs have greatly affected their development. Limited information is available on the reasons for the low yield and quality of CCFs. The aim of this 2‐yr investigation was to compare variations in chlorophyll concentration, net photosynthesis rate, monosaccharide concentration, and fiber yield and quality among white‐fiber cotton (WFC), brown‐fiber cotton (BFC), and green‐fiber cotton (GFC). White‐fiber cotton had the highest lint yield, which was on average 33.6 and 41.9% higher than that of BFC and GFC, respectively. Other yield components such as boll number and boll weight had similar trends in both years. The fiber length of GFC and BFC was reduced by 17.4 and 11.1%, respectively, compared with that of WFC. These results indicated that GFC had the lowest fiber yield and quality. Leaf chlorophyll concentration, net photosynthesis rate, and fructose and glucose concentrations of GFC were slightly higher than those of WFC, indicating its active photosynthesis. However, its vigorous vegetative growth had reduced its reproductive growth, partly resulting in low yield and quality. Brown‐fiber cotton had the lowest leaf chlorophyll concentration and other photosynthetic indexes, leading to a lower amount of photosynthetic product and, hence, yield and quality.

Modulation of morphological and biochemical traits using heterosis breeding in coloured cotton

“…Cellulose is the major component of cotton fibre and high amounts of cellulose always guaranteed a better quality of cotton fibre (Martin & Haigler 2004). In the present study, the amount of cellulose was lower in coloured cotton fibres compared to white cotton fibre, and might be due to flavonoid synthesis (Dutt et al 2004;Hua et al 2007Hua et al , 2009. However, a significantly higher amount of cellulose after 15 DPA in the interspecific coloured cotton hybrid as compared to their parental lines suggested the accumulation of dominant alleles at different loci for cellulose synthesis.…”

“…However, cultivation of coloured cotton has not accelerated accordingly (Dutt et al 2004). The fibre quality and yield of coloured cotton are inherently inferior to white cotton fibre (Murthy 2001; Wang & Li 2002a;Li et al 2004;Hua et al 2009;Yuan et al 2010), so cotton breeders continue to be engaged in producing coloured cotton genotypes with high yield and good fibre quality using heterosis breeding (Basu 1996). Previously, interspecific as well as intraspecific heterosis has been reported in coloured cotton with an average increase of 18% in agronomic-and yieldrelated traits (Meredith & Bridge 1972;Dutt et al 2004).…”

“…Cellulose biosynthesis is complex and controlled on many levels, such as genetics, biophysics, cell biology, biochemistry and environmental interaction (Haigler et al 2009). Many researchers have documented the relationships of cellulose, carbohydrates, flavonoids and mineral elements with fibre yield and its quality (Dutt et al 2004;Hua et al 2007Hua et al , 2009Yuan et al 2010). Among these organic compounds, carbohydrates are considered as key sources of energy that act as important osmotic regulators (Martin & Haigler 2004).…”

“…Among these organic compounds, carbohydrates are considered as key sources of energy that act as important osmotic regulators (Martin & Haigler 2004). The quantity of carbohydrates varies not only among different types of cotton fibres but also at different fibre developmental stages, thus controlling the cotton fibre quality (Gipson 1986;Hua et al 2007Hua et al , 2009. Flavonoids are another important class of organic compounds involved in the pigmentation of tissues, pollen fertility and regulation of the hormones (Li et al 1993; Stapleton & Walbot 1994;Shirley 1996).…”

The genes determining synthesis of pigments in cotton

“…On the other hand, the overexpression of the F3H gene has no effect on cotton fibre length. This experiment has shown that flavonoid metabolism could be associated with fibre pigmentation and quality (Dutt et al, 2004;Hua et al, 2009;Feng et al, 2015;Hande et al, 2017).…”