Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Crop Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #173600
Title: Lint Development and Properties of Fifteen Fuzzless Seed Lines of Upland Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Author
item Turley, Rickie
item Scheffler, Jodi
item Vaughn, Kevin

Submitted to: Euphytica
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/29/2006
Publication Date: 1/25/2007
Citation: Turley, R.B., Scheffler, J.A., Vaughn, K.C. 2007. Line Development and Properties of Fifteen Fuzzless Seed Lines of Upland Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Euphytica. (2007) 156:57-65

Interpretive Summary: Cotton is a highly valued natural fiber which accounts for approximately $120 billion of business revenues per year in the USA. Yields of cotton lint production have reached a plateau in recent years which could threaten the continued success of the industry. Normal cotton produces both long fibers (one inch or longer) which are used by industry and very short fibers called fuzz (approximately one-fourth inch or shorter) which remain attached to the seed during processing. To better understand the development of lint on cotton seed, 15 mutant lines of cotton that do not produce fuzz and also produce low amounts of lint were found to produce 0.7 to 24.4% useable lint compared to 38% lint for normal cotton varieties. The differences in lint production among the 15 mutant cotton lines are likely due to genes which modify lint production in the presence of the genes that prevent the formation of fuzz fiber. The research community can use this information to identify the modifier genes and perhaps increase lint production in normal cotton varieties.

Technical Abstract: Fifteen fuzzless seed lines in 'obsolete' backgrounds of Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) were obtained from the National Cotton Germplasm Collection and evaluated for fuzzless seed genotype, lint percent, and lint quality. Fourteen of these fifteen lines were found to be homozygous for the dominant fuzzless seed allele N1. The other line was homozygous for the recessive fuzzless seed allele n2. The fuzzless seed lines expressed wide variations in lint percent ranging from 0.7 to 23.6 % lint for the N1 lines and 24.4 % for the n2 line. Scanning electron microscopy was used to discern patterns of lint initiation on 1 day post anthesis ovules of these fuzzless seed lines. General patterns included: first, lint initiation limited to the chalazal end of the seed crest; second, lint initiation along the seed crest and laterally around the chalazal end of the ovule; and third, lint initiation which covered most of the seed except the micropylar end of the ovule. Lint quality measurements were performed using the advanced fiber information system (AFIS). The means of each measurement also varied among the fuzzless seed lines with significant differences between fiber length, short fiber content, immature fiber content, fineness, and maturity ratio. No correlation was found between lint percent and any of the fiber quality measurements. However many of the lint measurements were highly correlated. These lines will provide a valuable resource for the study of lint initiation and lint quality.