Population development, selection, and evaluation for heat stress, fiber quality, lint yield, and pest resistance

 

Objectives: To improve cotton germplasm with potential heat stress tolerance, better fiber quality, lint yield and pest resistance, broadening the genetic base of cotton.

Justification and Problem Statement
Over the last 3 5 years, the cotton germplasm base used in plant breeding has narrowed. This relatively narrow genetic diversity has been suggested as a contributor to an apparent plateau in breeding progress. It may also represent an impediment to efforts to sustain high yields (May and Taylor, 1998; Meredith, 1992; Ulloa, 2006). Since the re-establishment of a cotton breeding effort within the USDA-ARS, Western Integrated Cropping Systems Research Unit, we have focused on increasing genetic diversity through acquisition of novel germplasm (from multiple sources including non-commercial land races and species of wild cottons)…

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