Registration of NN‐3 Cotton

Abstract

NN‐3 cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) germplasm line (Reg. No. GP‐955, PI 665058) (Pak 027493) was developed by the Plant Genomics and Molecular Breeding Labs of the National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE) Faisalabad, Pakistan, as a part of efforts for evolving cultivars resistant to the Burewala strain of cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD; caused by Cotton leaf curl virus). This line was developed through crossing S‐12, a high‐yielding variety but one that is susceptible to CLCuD, and LRA‐5166, which is resistant to the Multan strain of the disease. The line was tested in various trials conducted by NIBGE as well as by various national agencies. In varietal trials conducted for three successive normal cotton‐growing seasons (2005 through 2007) at three different sites—the Cotton Research Station (CRS) Vehari, the CRS/Central Cotton Research Institute at Multan, and NIBGE Faisalabad—NN‐3 has shown high tolerance against the virus disease. In a national coordinated varietal trial, NN‐3 produced higher seed‐cotton yield than the standards for two consecutive years (2008 and 2009). NN‐3 has been cited as the most tolerant cotton line to the Burewala strain of CLCuD. This line is being extensively used as one of the parents for developing elite cotton cultivars that show high tolerance to the disease. This line would be a valuable genetic resource for use in future cotton breeding programs as a step toward sustaining cotton production in the country.