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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Crop Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #358315
Research Project: Utilizing Conventional and Molecular Approaches to Enhance Seed and Fiber Quality Traits, and Conducting a National Cotton Variety Testing Program

Location: Crop Genetics Research

Title: Genetic improvement of naked-tufted seed mutants in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Author
item HENDON, BRALIE - University Of Southwest
item Bechere, Efrem
item WITT, TRAVIS - Texas Tech University
item KELLY, BRENDAN - Texas Tech University
item MISHRA, DEEPIKA - Arvegenix, Inc
item AULD, DICK - Texas Tech University

Submitted to: Euphytica
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/11/2019
Publication Date: 3/28/2019
Citation: Hendon, B.R., Bechere, E., Witt, T.W., Kelly, B.R., Mishra, D., Auld, D. 2019. Genetic improvement of naked-tufted seed mutants in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Euphytica. 215:81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-019-2400-y.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-019-2400-y

Interpretive Summary: Upland cotton accounts for over 98% of the 4.9 million hectares of cotton grown in the U.S. Seeds can be treated with chemicals that cause mutations possibly creating additional diversity essential for continued genetic improvement in upland cotton. Seeds were treated with a chemical to induce mutations, and plants with unusual seeds that only had a tuft of lint on one end (called naked-tufted seeds) were selected to use as parents in a breeding program to develop cotton with this trait. Three naked-tufted lines were crossed with 11 traditional cotton lines. The offspring from these crosses were tested and one to two genes were identified that controlled the naked-tufted seed trait. Selection among and within these offspring resulted in the development of breeding lines with naked-tufted seeds, competitive lint yields, lint percent, and superior fiber quality. These lines are an important starting point for future research to determine how the naked-tufted seed trait is genetically regulated.

Technical Abstract: This research evaluated the potential for genetic improvement of fiber yield, lint percent, AFIS fiber quality, and fiber initiation of three naked-tufted cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) mutants. The M8 seed of three naked-tufted mutants developed by chemical mutagenesis were crossed to 11 genotypes. The F2 generations of these crosses were tested using Chi Square for Goodness of Fit to one monogenic and six digenetic segregation ratios. SC 9023-ns-57-13-2-3-1 expressed the naked-tufted trait as either a single recessive gene (3 fuzzy: 1 naked-tufted ratio) or as duplicate recessive genes (9 fuzzy: 7 naked-tufted ratio). The F2 segregation with the cross on Tejas-ns-28-13-2-3-1 showed a strong fit to a 15 fuzzy: 1 naked-tufted ratio expected of duplicate dominant epistasis. The F2 populations with Atlas-ns-129-10-1-1-1 segregated as either a single dominant gene (3 naked: 1fuzzy) or as two duplicate dominant genes (9 naked-tufted: 7 fuzzy). The naked-tufted phenotype appears to be controlled by several genes that interact in a relatively complex manner. The F2:3 and F3:4 populations of ten crosses were also evaluated for phenotypic expression of the naked-tufted trait, several agronomic traits, and AFIS fiber quality. The F2:3 and F3:4 populations of the cross of Atlas-ns-129/Holland 338-6-1 produced the highest average lint yields (1192 kg ha-1) and percent lint (44%) as well as excellent fiber quality. It might be possible to develop relatively high yielding cultivars of upland cotton using these new mutants which express the naked-tufted phenotype.