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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Crop Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #347640
Title: Breeding for cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) resistance

Author
item SANTOS, ALBERT - Plant Science Consultants
item KEIM, DON - Plant Science Consultants
item Scheffler, Jodi

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/17/2017
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) is caused by a whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) transmitted geminivirus. It is a major disease of cotton in Africa and South Asia, and has spread to other countries through ornamental plants. It can potentially devastate U.S. cotton where commercial varieties have no resistance to the CLCuD virus. A recent outbreak devastated 2015 cotton production in Pakistan. In combination with other factors, yield was reduced by 30-35%. A joint USDA-Pakistan screening program identified a source of resistance from a U.S. germplasm line designated as Mac7. Dr. Jodi Scheffler registered reselections from this line, as GVS8 and GVS9 cotton germplasm (Release P.0063.14). A fast-tracked breeding program was initiated to transfer this resistance into commercially acceptable U.S. germplasm. Screening for the CLCuD virus susceptibility or resistance will be done at the SANIFA Agri Services research station at Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab Province, Pakistan. The breeding technique used is a modified bulk-pedigree method using two generations per year. The winter nursery work will be done at the Cotton Inc. managed research site in Costa Rica. The paper will discuss how the project is evolving as we move forward based on observations generated in the field in Pakistan and Mississippi.