Use of 'Naked-Tufted' Seed Coat Mutants to Increase Lint Yield, Lint Percent, and Potential Energy Saving in Upland Cotton Production.

The objective of this research was to develop ‘naked-tufted’ seed mutants and to incorporate this genetic trait into Texas Upland cotton to enhance crop quality and reduce processing costs.

            In 1996, six commercial varieties were treated with 2.45% v/v ethyl methane sulfonate.  In 1999, three M₃ plants were identified that had partially naked seed coats. From 2001 to 2004, selections from the three M₃ naked-tufted seed coat mutants were evaluated in replicated trials at Lubbock, Texas to stabilize this trait and to evaluate the impact of the naked-tufted phenotype on lint yield, lint percent, fiber quality, and yarn spinning performance. In 2005 and 2006, 40 individual plant selections with naked-tufted seed coats were evaluated for expression of the naked-tufted seed coat trait, lint yield and lint percent. The fibers harvested from these plots were analyzed using High Volume Instruments (HVI), Advanced Fiber Information Systems (AFIS), and standard yarn quality analyses.

 These mutants appeared to reduce or eliminate the occurrence of fuzz or linters which are short fibers tightly attached to the seed coat in most upland cotton varieties.  Our initial hypothesis was that the removal of linters during saw ginning contributed significantly to increased short fiber content in upland cotton. Consequently, genetic elimination of the linters would reduce the short fiber content while simplifying ginning, oil recovery, and delinting of cottonseed.  

            In the current background the naked tufted trait has up to a 15% reduction in both turn out and final lint yield. However, continued selection within crosses of our mutant lines with germplasm lines with extremely high rates of fiber initiation should allow us to identify lines with sufficient lint yields and enhanced fiber quality to commercialize this unique trait.