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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #337013
Title: Identifying and breeding drought tolerant cottons (gossypium spp.) treated with ems-mutant agent on the texas high plains

Author
item WITT, TRAVIS - Texas Tech University
item Ulloa, Mauricio
item MENDU, VENUGOPAL - Texas Tech University
item Pelletier, Mathew
item RITCHIE, GLEN - Texas Tech University

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/5/2017
Publication Date: 5/15/2017
Citation: Witt, T., Ulloa, M., Mendu, V., Pelletier, M.G., Ritchie, G. 2017. Identifying and breeding drought tolerant cottons (gossypium spp.) treated with ems-mutant agent on the texas high plains. National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference. p. 448-456.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Cotton (Gossypium spp.), like many crop species worldwide, suffers from low levels of natural genetic diversity. Ethyl MethaneSulfonate (EMS) causes random mutations and has been used as a tool to increase genetic diversity. Therefore, this novel genetic diversity was used for identifying drought tolerant cotton lines. A diverse panel of 13 G. hirsutum L. and one G. arboreum L. cultivars were treated with EMS and then bulk harvested from the M1 through the M4 generation. In 2014, M4 seeds from these genotypes were tested under two irrigation rates (232 and 347 millimeters per year). Based on phenotypic-data and evaluations throughout the season, three G. hirsutum and one G. arboreum genotypes were selected for further analysis and selection. Divergent selection of plants was performed within each genotype (25 good and 25 bad performers). In 2015, four selected EMS-treated genotypes (M5) were planted in augmented designs with three different irrigation rates and evaluated based on 10 agronomic traits and fiber quality within each water rate. Within each rate we used four non-mutated (controls) and two commercial cultivars. The irrigation rates were 0, 71, and 142 millimeters per year. At the end of the season, 39 genotypes from the previous divergent selection of plants were further selected. In 2016, the selections (M6), four non-mutated controls, and two commercial cultivars were grown at two locations in a RCBD within two irrigation rates. The irrigation rates were 0 and 106 millimeters per year. The seeds were planted in 4.6 meter plots within each water rate at a rate of 10 seeds per meter. At the end of the season 25 bolls were harvested for fiber quality and 1 square meter was harvested to extrapolate yield data. Final selected genotypes will be examined for plant response and performance of drought tolerance, fiber quality, and lint yield.