VARIATION, HERITABILITY AND ASSOCIATION OF YIELD, FIBER

AND MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS IN A NEAR LONG STAPLE

UPLAND COTTON POPULATION

 

DEYI SHAO, TAO WANG, HAIPING ZHANG, JIANMEI ZHU AND FEIYU TANG^*

 

Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology, Ecology and Genetic Breeding, College of Agronomy, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China

^*Corresponding author’s e-mail: fytangcau@163.com; Tel: +86-0791-83813185; Fax: 86-0791-83813185

 

Abstract

 

Development of near long staple (NLS) cotton germplasm represents a remarkable improvement in fiber properties of upland genotypes without compromising yield potential. This study aimed to evaluate a NLS population for variability in yield, fiber and morphological traits, investigate heritability and genetic advance of these traits, and analyze the interrelationships among them. The NLS lines exhibited large variation for lint yield per hectare and bolls per plant, while little variation for fiber properties. The highest genotypic (GCV) and phenotypic (PCV) coefficient of variation were recorded by lint yield per hectare (25.10%, 23.00%) followed by bolls per plant (18.88%, 16.38%). High heritability along with high response to selection was documented in plant height, bolls per plant and lint yield per hectare indicating that the additive gene function model in the inheritance of these traits and direct selection can be profitably applied on them. Favourable associations were found among fiber length, strength and fineness in this population. It is concluded that there is a great potential in the NSL population for further enhancing yield while maintaining high fiber quality.

 

Key words: Upland cotton, Near long staple, Variability, Heritability, Genetic advance, Correlation.