Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #109027
Title: GENETIC VARIABILITY FOR EARLY GROWTH, ROOT DEVELOPMENT AND MYCORRHIZAL ASSOCIATION IN COTTON

Author
item McMichael, Bobbie
item HOPPER, NORMAN - TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
item ZAK, J - TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
item DUESTERHAUS, BEN - TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The growth and development of the cotton root system is under genetic control but may be modified by the environment. One of the most important environmental factors that influence early root development and subsequent stand establishment is soil temperature. Studies were conducted to determine the impact of soil temperature regimes on early seedling development in a number of cotton genotypes and compare the results from controlled environments to chilling injury indices developed for the same genotypes as well as field performance. Seed of each of ten cotton genotypes having a range of "cold tolerance indices" defined as the sum of a metabolic chill index and an imbibitional chill index for each genotype, were planted in soil in small polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubes in root growth chambers. Following a 30 day growth period of either 18C or 28C, the plants were harvested, the roots washed free of soil and root lengths, and root dry weights, measured. Field evaluations were also conducted and emergence of the genotypes evaluated. There appeared to be a positive relationship between root length and root dry weights measured at 30 days and the "cold tolerance index" across all genotypes. The relationship also appeared to be stronger for plants grown at 18C suggesting a differential expression of the cold tolerance traits. There was also a relatively strong relationship between the field establishment index and root length of plants grown in controlled environments again with the stronger relationship being expressed for plants grown at 18C. These results suggest that the "cold tolerance index" may be utilized as a prediction tool for assessing the impact of early root growth on plant establishment. Further research is underway to elucidate these relationships.