Abstract
BackgroundEvaluating phenotypic traits is very important for the selection of elite lines in Gossypium hirsutum L. Cotton breeders are interested in using diverse genotypes in hybridization that can segregate for traits of interested with the possibility of selection and genetic gain. Information on phenotypic and molecular diversity helps the breeders for parental selection.MethodsIn this study, 719 global collections of G. hirsutum L. were evaluated for five fibre-related traits during two consecutive years in eight different environments. A series of phenotypic data for fibre quality traits were obtained and the elite accessions were further screened using principal component analysis and phylogenetic tree construction based on single nucleotide polymorphism markers.ResultsWe found that fibre quality traits showed a wide range of variation among the G. hirsutum accessions over 2 years. In general, accessions from outside China tended to have higher fibre length (FL) and fibre strength (FS) than did Chinese accessions. Among different regional accessions in China, North/Northwest accessions tended to have the highest FL, FS and best fibre macronaire. By assessing five fibre quality traits over 2 years with genotypic data, 31 elite germplasms reaching double-thirty quality values (FL ≥ 30 mm and FS ≥ 30 cN·tex− 1) were selected.ConclusionsThis study provided a detailed phenotypic diversity description of a population representing a wide range of upland cotton germplasm. Our findings provide useful information about possible elite fibre quality parents for cotton breeding programs.
Highlights
Evaluating phenotypic traits is very important for the selection of elite lines in Gossypium hirsutum L
Characterization of five fibre quality traits We found a wide range of variation in the five quality traits among the evaluated accessions (Fig. 1)
fibre length (FL) varied from 23.68 mm to 33.74 mm; fibre strength (FS) varied from 25.02 cN·tex− 1 to 33.94 cN·tex− 1; fibre micronaire (FM) varied from 3.65 to 5.97; Fibre uniformity (FU) varied from 81.69% to 86.65%; Fibre elongation (FE) varied from 6.21% to 7.13%
Summary
Evaluating phenotypic traits is very important for the selection of elite lines in Gossypium hirsutum L. Cotton breeders are interested in using diverse genotypes in hybridization that can segregate for traits of interested with the possibility of selection and genetic gain. Cotton is one of the major fibre crops worldwide, and has extensive phenotypic diversity among the 50 representative species (Wendel and Cronn 2003) Among these species, upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is the leading fibre production crop and grown in more than 80 countries/regions of the world. It is crucial to explore novel germplasm resources for potential natural genetic diversity and develop innovative genomics tools to efficiently mobilize these useful genetic variations to breeding germplasm, which should help to overcome existing and potential problems of cotton production associated with narrow genetic base of the cultivar germplasm (Ulloa et al 2013; Hinze et al 2017)
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