Abstract
Eight multi-adversity resistant cultivars of cotton were used to gain inheritance and interrelationship information on new traits and changes that may have occurred in known traits. The investigation centered on seed and seedling traits that may be used in direct and indirect selection for cotton improvement. The cultivars were crossed in all possible combinations and reciprocal crosses were bulked. Seed having a F1 seed coat and F2 embryo were used to represent the F1 generation. Traits measured on bulked seed samples of plots included fiber traits (lint, linters and total fiber percents), seed traits (weight, volume and density), seed coat traits (cut coats and color) and emergence, stand and damping-off in field tests. Seedling traits were measured in rag dolls held at room temperature, on water agar in petri plates placed in a germinator and in soil-filled clear plastic tumblers placed in a temperature controlled water bath. An equal number of seed from the plants in each plot were used in these tests. The traits included germination (in the rag doll and water agar tests), seedling growth (dry weight transfer, rates of germination and emergence, root and hypocotyl lengths), seedling geotrophism (root and hypocotyl conformation in water agar and temperature tank tests), seed and seedling disease (moldy seed, seed rot, root grade and damping-off) and emergence and stand in the temperature tank test. Different measurements for a trait were evaluated and the data giving the best differences and variability were used for further study.
Bourland, F. M. (1978). Inheritance and interrelationships of several seed and seedling characteristics of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -638625.