Cotton Mutants with Divergent Fiber Quality Characteristics.

In the U.S. cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) industry there is a need for improved fiber quality to compete in International Markets.  This market demands for cotton fibers that are longer, stronger and more mature than the fibers produced by conventionally grown U.S. cotton cultivars.  From 2006 to 2010, a study was done to select divergent fiber quality traits in mutant populations of TAM 94 L-25 and Acala 1517-99 cotton cultivars known to have good fiber quality.  High and low selections were made for micronaire, strength, length, and AFIS maturity. The divergent lines identified by this process will be ideal for both breeding studies and the development of molecular markers specific for these fiber quality characteristics.  The selected mutant lines ranged from a mean low fiber length of 1.05 to a high of 1.28; low fiber strength mean of 26.6 to a high of 35.2; a low micronaire value mean of 3.5 to a high of 5.1; and low maturity ratio mean of 0.85 to a high of 0.97 across both populations. In 2011, we will plant out six M6 individual plants from selected divergent lines for progeny tests. The lines selected from this trial will be especially useful in the development and release of germplasm lines.