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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Florence, South Carolina » Coastal Plain Soil, Water and Plant Conservation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #188227
Title: A comparison of bollgard/glyphosate tolerant cotton cultivars to their conventional parents for open end yarn processing performance

Author
item Bauer, Philip
item McAlister Iii, David
item FREDERICK, JAMES - CLEMSON UNIV, FLORENCE

Submitted to: Journal of Cotton Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/12/2006
Publication Date: 9/15/2006
Citation: Bauer, P.J., McAlister III, D.D., Frederick, J.R. 2006. A comparison of bollgard/glyphosate tolerant cotton cultivars to their conventional parents for open end yarn processing performance. Journal of Cotton Science. 10:168-174.

Interpretive Summary: Most cotton cultivars currently grown in the United States have been genetically engineered to contain traits that make them tolerant to some insect species and/or tolerant to some herbicides. There is concern in the textile industry that these transgenic cultivars do not possess the quality for yarn production that conventional cultivars have. We conducted a two-year study evaluating two cotton cultivars with transgenic traits and their non-transgenic parents at three planting dates. We found little difference between transgenic and conventional cultivars for yield, fiber properties, spinning efficiency, yarn quality, or fabric appearance. When differences did occur, they tended to be of the same magnitude or smaller than differences among planting dates. Late-planted cotton tended to have better yarn quality than early-planted cotton. This information is important to the cotton textile industry and to companies producing cotton seed for farmers.

Technical Abstract: Textile manufacturers have raised concerns that mill performance of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) has been compromised by transgenic technology. Our objective was to compare two cultivars genetically engineered with Bacillus thuringensis (Bt) and glyphosate tolerance (RR) to their conventional parents for fiber properties, processing characteristics, and fabric quality. Field experiments were conducted with ‘DPL 458B/RR’ and its recurrent parent ‘DPL 5415’, and ‘DPL 655B/RR’ and its recurrent parent ‘DPL 5690’. These cultivars were planted at three planting dates (mid-April, early May, and mid-May) in 2000 and 2001. Ginned cotton was tested for fiber properties, processing waste, spinning performance, yarn characteristics, and white specks in dyed fabric. The transgenic and conventional cultivars did not differ for lint yield at any planting date in either year and only small differences in HVI-determined fiber properties occurred. Similarly, differences between the transgenic and conventional cultivars for processing waste, spinning performance, yarn quality, and white specks were small, even when significant. Differences between the transgenic and conventional cultivars tended to be of the same magnitude or smaller than differences among planting dates. Late-planted cotton tended to have better yarn quality than early-planted cotton. The results suggest little difference in processing quality or efficiency between these transgenic cultivars and their recurrent parents.