Upper Half Mean Length Research Articles

Insights into the genetic divergence in Asiatic cotton (Gossypium arboreum L.) germplasm for fibre-quality traits

Abstract Asiatic cotton (Gossypium arboreum L.) has evolved in the Indian subcontinent and is known for its adaptability to low-input management conditions. In the present study, 300 diverse G. arboreum lines, including 100 Nandyal arboreum breeding lines (NAB), 132 Arboreum germplasm collections (AGC) and 68 long-linted arboreum genotypes (LLA), were evaluated for fibre quality to assess the diversity among them and to identify promising genotypes with desirable fibre traits. Significant variations were observed among the genotypes for the studied fibre-quality traits. Principal component analysis showed that the traits micronaire (Mic) and elongation percentage (E%) followed by upper half mean length (UHML) and bundle tenacity (tenacity) were the most significant contributors to variation. Cluster analysis based on the Euclidian distance method showed 16 clusters among 300 G. arboreum genotypes. The genotypes in cluster 4 have desirable UHML, tenacity and UI (uniformity index) traits, and cluster 12 has Mic and E% traits. Furthermore, the number of genotypes with desirable fibre-quality traits was found to be higher in the AGC group than in the LLA and NAB groups. The trait tenacity followed by the UHML showed relatively higher Shannon–Weiner diversity index values across different genotypic groups. Based on the superior performance, the genotypes PA 847, PA 809, PA 837, PA 863, NDLA 3147-2, NDLA 2974 and NDLA 3081 were found to be having desirable fibre traits. The identified promising genotypes are valuable genetic resources for improving fibre quality in G. arboreum cotton.

Effects of chemical regulation on the growth, yield and fiber quality of cotton varieties with different plant architectures

Chemical regulation has beneficial effects on the growth, yield, and fiber quality of cotton with different plant architectures. This study aimed to investigate the combined effects of chemical regulators such as mepiquat chloride (1,1-dimethyl-piperidiniuchloride, DPC), chlormequat chloride (CCC), thidiazuron (TDZ), and ethephon (ETH) during the growth period of cotton. Different combinations of chemical regulators were applied to examine the growth, development, yield, and quality of cotton. The results showed that the application of different chemical regulators had varying effects on the yields of the two cotton varieties with distinct plant architecture. Specifically, K1C1 (before and after topping with 1:1 25% DPC, 50% TDZ, and 40% ETH) and K2C2 (before topping with 25% DPC and after topping with 50% CCC, 50% TDZ, and 40% ETH) were sprayed on ‘Wankemian-1’ and ‘Wanmian-191’, thereby increasing the cotton yield. The K2C2 treatment increased the upper half mean length and fiber strength of the two varieties but decreased the fiber length uniformity index. The fiber strength, fiber length uniformity index, and spinning consistency index of ‘Wankemian-1’ were higher than those of ‘Wanmian-191’. Based on comprehensive yield, quality, and economic benefits, K1C1 and K2C2 were determined to be the most effective chemical regulators of ‘Wankemian-1’ and ‘Wanmian-191’, respectively.

Genome-wide association study of fiber quality traits in US upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.).

A GWAS in an elite diversity panel, evaluated across 10 environments, identified genomic regions regulating six fiber quality traits, facilitating genomics-assisted breeding and gene discovery in upland cotton. In this study, an elite diversity panel of 348 upland cotton accessions was evaluated in 10 environments across the US Cotton Belt and genotyped with the cottonSNP63K array, for a genome-wide association study of six fiber quality traits. All fiber quality traits, upper half mean length (UHML: mm), fiber strength (FS: gtex-1), fiber uniformity (FU: %), fiber elongation (FE: %), micronaire (MIC) and short fiber content (SFC: %), showed high broad-sense heritability (> 60%). All traits except FE showed high genomic heritability. UHML, FS and FU were all positively correlated with each other and negatively correlated with FE, MIC and SFC. GWAS of these six traits identified 380 significant marker-trait associations (MTAs) including 143 MTAs on 30 genomic regions. These 30 genomic regions included MTAs identified in at least three environments, and 23 of them were novel associations. Phenotypic variation explained for the MTAs in these 30 genomic regions ranged from 6.68 to 11.42%. Most of the fiber quality-associated genomic regions were mapped in the D-subgenome. Further, this study confirmed the pleiotropic region on chromosome D11 (UHML, FS and FU) and identified novel co-localized regions on D04 (FU, SFC), D05 (UHML, FU, and D06 UHML, FU). Marker haplotype analysis identified superior combinations of fiber quality-associated genomic regions with high trait values (UHML = 32.34mm; FS = 32.73gtex-1; FE = 6.75%). Genomic analyses of traits, haplotype combinations and candidate gene information described in the current study could help leverage genetic diversity for targeted genetic improvement and gene discovery for fiber quality traits in cotton.

Heterosis and Inbreeding Depression Studies for Fibre Quality Traits in Upland Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Cotton hybrids have its own advantage than varieties in yield and fibre properties. Heterosis breeding helps in identifying F1 hybrids and in creating variability. The chief intention of any hybridization programme is to combine all the desirable genes present in two or more parents into a single genetic background. This investigation helped in identifying the extent of heterosis in crosses among four families in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) which was conducted at college Farm during kharif 2021-23. The all 4 hybrids were derived by generation mean analysis study which were analysed for fibre quality traits in a Compact Family Block Design. For traits like Ginning percentage, uniformity index, Upper Half Mean Length, Lint index, and Fibre strength, most of the crosses showed positive and significant relative heterosis. While, heterobeltiosis was also found positive and significant for ginning percentage, uniformity index, Upper half mean length and fibre strength for most of the crosses under study. Most of the crosses under study also showed little inbreeding depression for traits like ginning percentage, uniformity index and fibre strength. Thus, by exploiting the benefits of heterosis while mitigating risks associated with inbreeding depression may lead to the development of superior hybrid varieties with consistently improved fibre quality.

Mixing lint grades in relation to fiber and yarn quality of Egyptian cotton

This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of different mixing percentages of lint grades of Egyptian cotton varieties on fiber properties and yarn strength. Two lint grades within each variety of four Egyptian cottons from 2022 and 2023 crop seasons were used; Good to Fully Good (G/FG) and Fully Good Fair (FGF) for Giza 86, Good to Fully Good (G/FG) and Fully Good Fair to Good (FGF/G) for Giza 92, Good to Fully Good (G/FG) and Good Fair (GF) for Giza 94 and, Fully Good (FG) and Fully Good Fair (FGF) for Giza 95 with mixing percentage (30%-40%-50%) of the highest grades for each variety. Mixed lots of lint cotton grades were tested on Fiber Classifying System (FCS) instrument to measure fiber properties. Yarn strength was tested on Good Brand Lea tester at 60s and 3.6 twist factor. This experiment was conducted at Egyptian & International Cotton Classification Center (EICCC) in Cotton Research Institute (CRI), Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Giza, Egypt. Using traditional statistical analysis (normal probability distribution) with untraditional method (assumed probability distribution) illustrated that; It was remarkably increased upper half mean length,mean length, uniformity index, fiber strength, micronaire reading, maturity and linear density with increase of the percentage of the highest grade in the mixing for each studied variety. Meanwhile short fiber content showed the opposite trend, whereas, elongation had no obvious trend. Prominent improvement in yarn strength was observed when the highest lint cotton grade percentage increased from 30% through 40% and 50% in the mixing lots. Yarn strength increased from 2690 to 3170, from 2475 to 2850, from 2440 to 2845 and from 2135 to 2360 for Giza 92, Giza 86, Giza 94 and Giza 95, respectively. Generally, mixing method based on lint grades exhibited significant improvement in fiber and yarn quality properties. In the same time this method is easier than the experimental mixing methods based on micronaire reading or fiber strength. on the other hand, it is very important process in cotton production economy.

Impact of Different Plant Densities and Fertilizer Levels on Yield Attributes, Yield and Fibre Quality Characters of Bt Cotton in HDPS

Adopting a high-density planting system in cotton cultivation has resulted in increased yields compared to traditional methods. Despite the clear benefits, farmers face various challenges throughout the cultivation process, from sowing to harvesting. However, selecting appropriate plant spacings, fertilizer levels and implementing tailored cultivation techniques can significantly enhance productivity. A field experiment was conducted at Siddapur research farm, Regional Agricultural Research Station, Warangal, Telangana, India during kharif 2023 to investigate the “Impact of different plant densities and fertilizer levels on yield attributes, yield and fibre quality characters of cotton in high density planting system (HDPS)”. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design (factorial) and replicated thrice, consisting of 12 treatment combinations comprising of three plant spacings S1: 80 x 20 cm (62,500 plants ha-1), S2: 90 x 15 cm (74,074 plants ha-1), S3: 90 x 60 cm in factor I and four fertilizer levels (F1: 100%RDF, F2: 125%RDF, F3: 100%RDF + Microbial consortia, F4: Control) in factor II. Both the factors significantly influenced the number of bolls per plant, number of bolls m-2 and seed cotton yield per hectare. The results revealed that higher no. of bolls plant-1 were recorded in 90 x 60 cm (18,518 plants ha-1) however, higher no. of bolls m-2, seed cotton yield (2233 kgha-1) obtained from higher plant density (74,074 plants ha-1) with the spacing 90 x 15 cm. Boll weight was not significantly influenced by varied plant spacings and fertilizer levels. Among the different levels of fertilizer, 125%RDF recorded highest no. of bolls per plant, no. of bolls m-2 and seed cotton yield (2362 kgha-1). Fibre quality characters viz., Upper half mean length(mm), micronaire(µginch-1), tenacity(gtex-1) and uniformity index (%) were not significantly influenced by both plant spacings and fertilizer levels as they are primarily governed by genetic makeup of cotton genotypes. For optimum seed cotton yield, cotton should be sown at closer spacing 90 x 15 cm and the application of 125%RDF was economically feasible in high density planting system.

GhATL68b regulates cotton fiber cell development by ubiquitinating the enzyme required for β-oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids

E3 ligases are key enzymes required for protein degradation. Here, we identified a C3H2C3 RING domain-containing E3 ubiquitin ligase gene named GhATL68b. It is preferentially and highly expressed in developing cotton fiber cells and shows greater conservation in plants than in animals or archaea. The four orthologous copies of this gene in various diploid cottons and eight in the allotetraploid G. hirsutum were found to have originated from a single common ancestor that can be traced back to Chlamydomonas reinhardtii at about 992 million years ago. Structural variations in the GhATL68b promoter regions of G. hirsutum, G. herbaceum, G. arboreum, and G. raimondii are correlated with significantly different methylation patterns. Homozygous CRISPR-Cas9 knockout cotton lines exhibit significant reductions in fiber quality traits, including upper-half mean length, elongation at break, uniformity, and mature fiber weight. In vitro ubiquitination and cell-free protein degradation assays revealed that GhATL68b modulates the homeostasis of 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase, a rate-limiting enzyme for the β-oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), via the ubiquitin proteasome pathway. Fiber cells harvested from these knockout mutants contain significantly lower levels of PUFAs important for production of glycerophospholipids and regulation of plasma membrane fluidity. The fiber growth defects of the mutant can be fully rescued by the addition of linolenic acid (C18:3), the most abundant type of PUFA, to the ovule culture medium. This experimentally characterized C3H2C3 type E3 ubiquitin ligase involved in regulating fiber cell elongation may provide us with a new genetic target for improved cotton lint production.

Analysis of the Impact of Environmental Temperature and Humidity on Cotton Fiber Quality During Initial Processing

ABSTRACT This study examines the impact of temperature and humidity on cotton fiber quality during initial processing. Conducted in a Xinjiang cotton ginning mill, we used the USTER HVI1000 to analyze five quality indices: upper half mean length, uniformity, short fiber index, tensile strength, and elongation. Results indicated that temperatures below 13°C increased fiber brittleness, moisture, and significantly reduced length and strength. Optimal conditions were observed at temperatures between 13°C to 20°C with normal humidity, where length and strength were maintained. Above 20°C, the dry environment led to a decrease in these indices. While higher temperatures and lower humidity helped remove impurities and lessen cotton knots, relative humidity below 45% increased static electricity and knots. Despite data limitations, this study moves towards identifying optimal temperature and humidity levels for improving cotton quality during initial processing, providing a theoretical foundation for future enhancements.

Selena – a new cotton variety

The aim of this research was to study the productive potential and evaluate the fiber properties of the new Selena cotton variety. The variety was studied in competition variety trials conducted in 2017-2022 in the experimental field of the Field Crops Institute in the town of Chirpan. In the IASAS system the variety was tested in 2021-2022. It was approved as a new cotton variety in 2023. Selena variety was created by remote hybridization from the crossing of the allotetraploid Gossypium thurberi Tod. × Gossypium raimondii Ulbr. with Dorina variety and subsequent backcrossing with Darmi variety. Selena variety is an early and productive new cotton variety with improved fiber quality. The vegetation period was 106-111 days. In seed cotton yield of 1663 kg/ha, on average for 6 years, it surpassed the standard cultivar Chirpan-539 by 12.3%. According to the IASAS data, in seed cotton yield of 2163 kg/ha it exceeded the two standard cultivars, Chirpan-539 - by 2.2%, Avangard-264 - by 1.3%, the average standard (average of the two standards) - by 1.8%. In lint yield of 95.5 kg/ha Selena variety was equal to Avangard-264, surpassed Chirpan-539 by 2.9% and respectively the average standard - by 1.4%. Selena variety had a number of valuable technological fiber qualities and in some indicators surpassed both standard cultivars. Compared to the two standard cultivars it had better Spinning Consistency Index (SCI), greater Upper Half Mean Length and fiber strength, lower micronaire, better spectroscopy with RD difference reflection than Chirpan-539, less yellowness than Avangard-264 and better fiber whiteness. Selena variety combines better productivity with better technological fiber qualities than the standard cultivars, which defines it as a new achievement in the selection of cotton in our country.

Genetic progress in seed and fiber quality traits of cotton in Argentina

Context:The Argentinian national cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) breeding program has demonstrated a 3.24 kg ha−1 y−1 genetic progress in lint yield from 1965 to date. Although previous studies have examined different trends in cotton lint yield, lint quality parameters, and other agronomic traits of cultivars over time, there have been no investigations in Argentina analyzing the genetic progress in the different components of technological fiber quality, cottonseed oil and protein composition. Objectives:(i) to estimate the genetic progress of the lint and seed quality parameters among cultivars released in Argentina since 1965, (ii) to evaluate the variation of genetic progress for the lint and seed quality parameters under different environmental conditions, and (iii) to determine the correlations between lint quality and lint yield traits. Method:This study was conducted over a two-year period, involving 20 cotton cultivars grown in four different environments (achieved through varying sowing dates) in Reconquista, Santa Fe, Argentina. Several fiber variables were evaluated, including upper half mean length (UHML), strength (Str), uniformity index (UI), micronaire (Mic), short fiber index (SFI), and spinning consistency index (SCI), as well as seed measurements, such as cottonseed oil content (Oil), protein content (Prot), and cottonseed oil fatty acid composition. Results:Significant differences were observed in all the quality parameters evaluated according to the environment and genotype, highlighting the importance of agronomic management in improving the different quality parameters. Oil content in the genotypes and years studied showed significant increases over time. Likewise, the maintenance of quality parameters despite the significant increases in lint yield and some of its components is considered a positive result for the Argentinian breeding program. Pearson correlation analysis showed that LY was positively correlated with UHML, UI, SCI, oil, and linoleic acid, whereas LY was negatively correlated with SFI, and both stearic and oleic acids. Conclusions:The data obtained from this study would serve as a basis for future research to explore the mechanisms responsible for altering or increasing both the fiber quality parameters and the concentrations of these by-products to improve cotton quality in Argentina.

Use of Span Lengths Extracted from the HVI Fibrogram to Predict Yarn Quality

ABSTRACT Cotton fiber properties play a significant role in determining the quality of yarns and fabrics. Information on fiber length distribution is crucial throughout many textile processing steps to transform fibers into yarn. The current High Volume Instrument (HVI) provides only two traditional length parameters, the upper half mean length (UHML) and uniformity index (UI). The UI is the mean length (ML) divided by the UHML expressed as a percentage. Both UHML and ML are extracted from the fibrogram, are highly correlated, and characterize only the longer fibers in a sample. Yet, the whole fibrogram contains more descriptive information than the two length measurements provided by the HVI. In addition, the fibrogram is a stable measurement on an HVI, and differences in fibrogram measurements across instruments can be reduced using a recently proposed calibration method. However, the use of the complete fibrogram by the textile industry is complicated and almost impossible in practice. This study aimed to investigate a simplified method to identify key span lengths extracted from the HVI fibrogram that can improve yarn prediction compared to the current method. The results obtained from a set of 60 commercial-like samples covering a wide range of length parameters are promising.

Evaluation of genetic variability parameters for yield, yield attributes and fibre quality traits in the F2 population of Gossypium hirsutum L.

The F2 populations of the crossings CO 14 × NDLH 1938 and CO17 × NDLH 1755 were used to investigate variability and heritability studies in order to better understand the gene action involved in each characteristic studied. Morphological data viz., days to first flowering, plant height (cm), number of sympodials, number of bolls per plant, boll weight (g), ginning outturn (%), upper half mean length (mm), elongation percentage (%) and micronaire value (µg/inch) were all recorded in each plant of both the populations. Studies of heritability and genetic advance as a percent of mean help us determine if a gene is additive or epistatic in nature, and so undergo appropriate breeding programmes for population enhancement. The value of PCV (Phenotypic Coefficient of variation) was always greater than GCV (Genotypic coefficient of variation) indicating the environment also plays a major role in contributing to the variations. The seed cotton yield per plant alone was shown to exhibit additive gene action with high heritability and strong genetic advance as percent of mean, suggesting that it might be used in direct selection since it is the most important attribute for population development.

Determination of Quality Value of Cotton Fiber Using Integrated Best-Worst Method-Revised Analytic Hierarchy Process

ABSTRACT Selection of cotton fibers in terms of their quality value has created a domain of emerging interest among the researchers. In this study, a newly developed Best-Worst Method (BWM) was integrated with Revised Analytic Hierarchy Process (RAHP) to rank cotton fiber lots on the basis of six apposite fiber properties namely fiber bundle tenacity, elongation, micronaire, upper half mean length, uniformity index, and short fiber index. Ranking performance of this integrated approach closely resembles those of the other multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approaches. No occurrence of rank reversal during the sensitivity analyses corroborates the stability and robustness of the BWM-RAHP method. Uniqueness of the present study lies in the fact that this is the maiden application of the vector-based BWM approach, that uses fewer pairwise comparisons than other variants of MCDM, in a cotton fiber grading problem. The RAHP adds value to the decision model by overcoming the problem of ranking inconsistency. Rank correlations between the ranking based on quality value of cotton and those based on yarn tenacity are also encouraging, and further bolster the efficacy of the BWM-RAHP method.

A New Method to Calculate Cotton Fiber Length Uniformity Using the HVI Fibrogram

Knowledge of cotton fiber length uniformity is important for the cotton industry. The accurate and reliable measurement of fiber length uniformity would allow cotton breeders to release new cotton varieties with improved fiber length variation. This knowledge would also help spinning mills to optimize their machine setup, which would improve yarn processing performance. Currently, the high volume instrument (HVI) is most commonly used to characterize the cotton fiber length variation. The HVI length measurement is based on the fibrogram principle. The HVI length measurement characterizes 2 points, 1.8% as the upper half mean length (UHML) and 7.8% span length as the mean length (ML) from the fibrogram, and reports UHML and uniformity index (UI). The ratio of ML to the UHML is used to calculate the UI and is expressed as a percentage. UI measurement does not represent the shorter fibers as the above two span lengths only represent the longest fibers within a sample. We propose to calculate the uniformity of the cotton fiber length using the complete fibrogram as an alternative. First, the area of the measured fibrogram curve is calculated. Second, the area of a theoretical mono-length fibrogram with a length equal to the maximum length of the fibers for the same sample is calculated. Finally, we calculate a new length uniformity as the ratio of the measured fibrogram area to the mono-length fibrogram area expressed as a percentage. Based on the results obtained using a set of 991 commercial samples, the new length uniformity shows promise. We also applied this new length uniformity to a set of 60 commercial-like samples and developed partial least square regression (PLSR) prediction models to predict yarn quality. The results obtained demonstrate that the new length uniformity predicts yarn quality better than the current UI.

Association and path analysis studies for yield contributing and fibre quality traits in the F1 population of Gossypium hirsutum L.

The present investigation on correlation and path analysis studies helps to study the relationship among the yield and yield contributing traits along with the quality parameters. The observations were taken in the F1 population of 35 hybrids along with lines (7 lines) and testers (5 testers) for the traits viz. plant height (cm), number of sympodial branches per plant, the number of bolls per plant, boll weight (g), lint index (g), single cotton yield per plant (g), ginning outturn (%), upper half mean length (cm), elongation percent (%) and micronaire value (µg per inch). The results revealed that seed cotton yield per plant had strong and positive association with the traits namely number of sympodial branches per plant (0.646), number of bolls (0.633) and boll weight (0.652). Path analysis study revealed that number of sympodial branches per plant (1.5396), boll weight (0.6285), lint index (1.3526) and upper half mean length (0.3392) had high direct positive effects on single plant yield and indirect very high positive effects through the traits viz., number of sympodial branches per plant via., number of bolls per plant (1.5125) and boll weight (1.0121). Hence selection based on these traits that are positively associated and direct positive effect with the yield would produce the best outcome in the genotypes in further breeding programmes.

Variability studies and genetic divergence in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) germplasm using multivariate analysis

Two hundred germplasm lines of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) were evaluated for genetic variability and divergence for seed cotton yield attributing traits and fibre quality traits at Regional Agricultural Research Station, ANGRAU, Lam, Guntur. The analysis of variance indicated significant genetic variability among the germplasm lines. The close symmetry between the phenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variances and lower values of environmental coefficient variance for all the studied attributes indicated that the traits were genetically controlled and under less influence of the environment.   Higher broad sense heritability and genetic advance for all seed cotton yield attributing traits indicated that these attributes were governed by additive genes and early phenotypic selection for their improvement might be effective. Five principal components (PCs) were depicted as having Eigen value >1 and cumulative variability of 66.17%, out of which PC1 accounted for 26.81% and  PC2  for 14.08% of variability. The attributes of significance depicted in PC1 were seed index, lint index, upper half mean length, uniformity index, and staple length. Bi-plot revealed that Lam GPC232, Lam GPC223, Lam GPC225, Lam GPC135, Lam GPC62, Lam GPC85, Lam GPC168, and Lam GPC203 were the most divergent germplasm. These genetically diverse genotypes with the absolute and significant association of attributes could be utilized in a future cotton breeding program. Keywords: Genetic variability, Genetic advance, Heritability, PCA

EFFECT OF SAW GINNING ON THE FIBRE QUALITY OF Bt AND NON-Bt COTTON

Bt cotton refers to a plant which has Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins in many of its cells. This naturally occurring soil bacterium will be used to reduce insect damage from bollworm, pink bollworm, and budworm. Therefore, farmers who are cultivating the Bt cotton variety will not be subjected to spray pesticides to control these worms. Whereas in this study, the non-Bt cotton (DP-90) refers to the commercially known variety which have no Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins in its cells. During the cultivation of non-Bt cotton varieties, the control of bollworms is done through the application of pesticides, which is a costly exercise in terms of cost of pesticides, spray equipment and labour. Along with the cost of cultivation, the best index to cotton quality is the performance of the fibres during spinning at the textile mill. In the present study the effect of saw ginning to the quality of both varieties was studied. The result could help the spinners to predict the preperformance of both varieties when subjected to the mechanical action of modern high rotating spinning machines parts. Ginning results a significant effect (at 0.05 level of significance) in all other measured fibre quality properties (upper half mean length, length uniformity index, short fibre content by number and by weight, level of neps, single fibre tenacity and elongation) of both Bt and non-Bt (DP-90) cotton varieties. The impact of ginning on the studied fibre quality properties was relatively severer on Bt cotton varieties than non-Bt (DP-90) varieties.

Association Analysis for Economic Traits in Upland Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Background: Gossypium hirsutum, the most widely cultivated crop in the world has concurrent importance for both fibre quality and yield. Polygenes regulate cotton output and a variety of factors affect the characteristic. As a result, it is essential to have thorough knowledge of the relationships between different component traits and fibre quality. Thus, the aim of the study was framed to know about the correlation along with cause-and-effect relationship among the economic traits. Mathod: Eight parents and 56 hybrids made up the experimental sample for our study, which were evaluated for 18 economically significant traits. The study was conducted at Department of Cotton, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, in 2021-2022. Results: Analysis of variance was highly significant for all the traits studied. The result of correlation revealed that the traits viz., number of bolls per plant, boll weight, number of seeds per boll, upper half mean length and fibre strength had a high magnitude of positive correlation with seed cotton yield at both genotypic and phenotypic levels. Path analysis represented the direct effects of upper half mean length, uniformity index, number of bolls per plant, number of seeds per boll and fibre strength on seed cotton yield. Hence, these traits can be used as selection criteria for yield improvement in cotton.

Reconstruction of the cotton fiber length distribution from a High Volume Instrument® fibrogram

Cotton fiber length is one of the most critical parameters of fiber quality for ring-spun and air-jet-spun yarns. Currently, two of the most common instruments for testing cotton fiber length are the USTER High Volume Instrument (HVI) and the USTER Advanced Fiber Information System (AFIS). The HVI bases its length measurement on the fibrogram concept. It is fast but reports only two length measurements—the upper half mean length (UHML) and the uniformity index (UI), where the UI is the percentage ratio of mean length (ML) to UHML. The AFIS is slower and more costly per test because it individualizes fibers to provide a complete fiber length distribution per sample. This paper presents a method that can reconstruct a complete fiber length distribution from an HVI fibrogram based on established fibrogram theory. Results show that the algorithm can accurately recover different types of distributions based on synthetically generated data. Results also show that reconstructed distributions of three different types of samples—upland, pima, and viscose—differ in ways that make sense based on known characteristics of their length distributions. Finally, a variety of statistics computed from the reconstructed distributions are compared to the HVI-reported length parameters. Results show a good correlation with HVI output with R2 ranging from 0.730 to 0.965 across nine different methods of calculating the ML, UHML, and UI. Interestingly, statistics calculated from an approximation of the length distribution by weight are the most closely related to the HVI length parameters.

Cotton fibre selection based on quality value using measurement of alternatives and ranking according to compromise solution (MARCOS) method

PurposeCotton fibre lots are graded and selected for yarn spinning based on their quality value which is a function of certain fibre properties. Cotton grading and selection has created a domain of emerging interest among the researchers. Several researchers have addressed the said issue using a few exponents of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) technique. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate a cotton selection problem using a recently developed measurement of alternatives and ranking according to compromise solution (MARCOS) method which can handle almost any decision problem involving a finite number of alternatives and multiple conflicting decision criteria.Design/methodology/approachThe MARCOS method of the MCDM technique was deployed in this study to rank 17 cotton fibre lots based on their quality values. Six apposite fibre properties, namely, fibre bundle strength, elongation, fineness, upper half mean length, uniformity index and short fibre content are considered as the six decision criteria assigning weights previously determined by an earlier researcher using analytic hierarchy process.FindingsAmong the 17 alternatives, C9 secured rank 1 (the best lot) with the highest utility function (0.704) and C7 occupied rank 17 (the worst lot) with the lowest utility function (0.596). Ranking given by MARCOS method showed high degree of congruence with the earlier approaches, as evidenced by high rank correlation coefficients (Rs > 0.814). During sensitivity analyses, no occurrence of rank reversal is observed. The correlations between the quality value-based ranking and the yarn tenacity-based rankings are better than many of the traditional methods. The results can be improved further by adopting other efficient method of weighting the criteria.Practical implicationsThe properties of raw cotton have significant impact on the quality of final yarn. Compared to the traditional methods, MCDM is reported as the most viable solution in which fibre parameters are given their due importance while formulating a single index known as quality value. The present study demonstrates the application of a recently developed exponent of MCDM in the name of MARCOS for the first time to address a cotton fibre selection problem for textile spinning mills. The same approach can also be extended to solve other decision problems of the textile industry, in general.Originality/valueNovelty of the present study lies in the fact that the MARCOS is a very recently developed MCDM method, and this is a maiden application of the MARCOS method in the domain of textile, in general, and cotton industry, in particular. The approach is very simple, highly effective and quite flexible in terms of number of alternatives and decision criteria, although highly robust and stable.