Association of Fiber Quality Parameters and Within‐Boll Yield Components in Upland Cotton

Abstract

Lint yield and fiber quality in upland cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., are interrelated through a series of individual components such as fiber length and the number of fibers produced on each seed. Numerous studies have reported the relationships among various components of yield and yield per unit land area, but none have reported on the relationships among the most basic within‐boll yield components and fiber quality parameters. The objectives of this study were (i) to determine the association of fiber quality parameters with basic within‐boll yield components for six diverse cotton genotypes and (ii) to determine if repulsion phase linkage explained the high negative correlations reported among fiber quality parameters and lint yield. The second objective was investigated by comparing the associations of fiber length, strength, and micronaire with within‐boll yield components among selected F1 populations developed by mating parents with similar direction of general combining ability (GCA) for fiber quality and within‐boll lint yield components with selected F1 populations derived by mating parents with dissimilar direction of GCA. Parents and F1s were grown at College Station, TX, in 1989 and 1992. Fiber quality parameters were determined by high volume instrumentation. Within‐boll lint yield components were determined by direct measurement or through calculations. Fiber strength and length were negatively associated with the most basic within‐boll lint yield components. Repulsion phase linkage appears to play a role in the negative association of fiber quality and within‐boll lint yield but pleiotropic effects could not be ruled out.

Combining ability for fiber quality parameters and within-boll yield components in intraspecific and interspecific cotton populations

“…Lint percentage is a function of seed weight and lint weight and will increase if either L/S increases or seed weight decreases, as reported by previous studies (Quisenberry, 1975;Basal and Smith, 1997;Smith and Coyle, 1997). Thus, selection for longer fibers in these populations could result in selections having lower lint percentage through lower lint weight per seed, lower lint weight per unit seed surface area, and fewer fibers per unit seed surface area.…”

“…New spinning and weaving technologies in the textile industry mandate that plant breeders and geneticists develop cultivars of upland cotton with improved fiber quality, especially fiber strength, fiber length, and length uniformity without sacrificing yield potential. However, previous studies report that the negative association resulting from the linkage connections and pleiotropic effects between lint yield and fiber quality, and especially between yield and fiber strength, has hampered the simultaneous improvement of these two important characteristics in cotton (Scholl and Miller, 1976;Worley et al, 1976;Culp et al, 1979;Green and Culp, 1990;Basal and Smith, 1997;Smith and Coyle, 1997). In cotton, increasing one of the yield components often results in decreasing other fiber quality component(s) because of balanced compensation.…”

Genetic Mapping in Cotton

“…Fiber bundle strength has a major impact in the modern spinning technology rather than staple length and micronaire value [157]. Negative correlation between the fiber bundle strength and cotton lint is a major bottle neck in upland cotton breeding programs [158][159][160]. It means that increase in fiber bundle strength would not be possible without sacrificing the yield.…”

Transcriptome Analysis of Ten-DPA Fiber in an Upland Cotton (<i>Gossypium hirsutum</i>) Line with Improved Fiber Traits from Phytochrome A1 RNAi Plants

“…Cotton is the most important textile fiber and also an important oilseed crop [1], providing significant economic impact as a major cash crop in 70 counties around the world [2]. The cotton industry demands to produce cotton with good fiber qualities, including longer and finer fiber with high fiber strength.…”