Mr. Gregory L. Berger, Texas A&M University, 1501 Harvey Rd. #669, College Station, TX 77840
Three upland, Gossypium hirsutum, genotypes were crossed with two G. barbadense, biotype sea island, genotypes in an effort to integrate superior fiber quality alleles from sea island into upland phenotypes. Initial crosses were made in 1999 and the F3 generation grown at College Station in a spaced nursery in 2002. Individual F3 selections were advanced as progeny rows to the F3:5 generation with resulting strains evaluated in replicated trial sat College Station, Texas during 2004 and 2005. These interspecific (ISH)strains ranged in lint production from 402 to 784 kg ha-1, compared with 976 kg ha-1 for Deltapine 491. Lint fraction among the ISH strains ranged from 31.9 to 40.1%, compared with 40.1 for Deltapine 491, while HVI UHM length ranged from 29 to 32 mm and fiber bundle strength ranged from 274 to 333 kN m kg-1. Deltapine 491 averaged 29 mm UHM length and 264 kN m kg-1 fiber bundle strength. Other HVI fiber properties of the ISH strains were within the limits of normal upland genotypes. These strains produced excellent fiber propertiessuggestingintrogressionfromG. barbadenseandshouldbegoodparentalmaterialforfiberenhancement.
