Gene effects for cotton-fiber traits in cotton plant (Gossypium hirsutum L.) under Verticillium conditions

Verticillium wilt (VW), caused by Verticillium dahliae Kleb., has become one of the most serious problems in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). The use of resistant cultivars has long been considered the most practical and effective means of control. The objective of this work was to study the quantitative genetic basis of fiber traits under Verticillium conditions in upland cotton by using five genotypes and their possible crosses without reciprocals, selecting simultaneously for quality fiber, resistance, and agronomic characteristics. Five cotton cultivars and 10 F1s from half diallel crosses were analyzed for quality fiber under VW conditions. The fiber length, uniformity, strength, elongation, and micronaire were measured during two crop seasons at two different sites each year, consistently in plots with soil naturally infested with Verticillium. Genetic components of variance were analyzed using the Hayman model. Analysis of variance for all traits showed significant differences between genotypes, with the genotype–site interaction in most of the studied traits except for fiber length and micronaire. Both the additive genetic variance component (D) and dominance genetic variance components (H1 and H2) were present in all traits. D was the most important component for uniformity, strength, elongation, and micronaire. Elongation was the trait most correlated with seed-cotton yield. Strength and micronaire were the traits most correlated with VWI. Broad-sense heritability was high for all the traits studied. Narrow-sense heritability was high for uniformity, strength and elongation, and moderate for length and micronaire.‘Acala Prema’ and ‘Acala Germain-510’ were identified as the best parent cultivars to breed for uniformity and strength. ‘Acala Prema’, ‘Acala Germain-510’, and ‘Deltapine Acala 90’ were the best to improve elongation and micronaire characters.