Combining suitable brown lint color, fiber quality, and yield in F2 cotton hybrids

Naturally colored cotton is eco-friendly because its use in textiles does not require dyeing, and textiles made from colored cotton are the best for human health. Despite their many advantages, the low yields and unfavorable quality traits of colored cotton varieties limit extensive production. Therefore, F1 and F2 populations of inter- specific ( Gossypium hirsutum L. x Gossypium barbadense L.) and intraspecific ( Gossypium hirsutum L.) cotton hybrids were examined to develop brown-colored cotton varieties with superior traits. Gelincik and Nazilli Deve T & uuml;y & uuml; (NDT)-15 varieties ( Gossypium hirsutum L.) with brown-colored lint were used as female parents. The male parents included Giza-75, Bahar-82 ( Gossypium barbadense L.), Fiona, May-455, I(center dot)pek-607 and Claudia ( Gossypium hirsutum L.) varieties with white-colored lint. According to the line x tester mating design, 12 hybrid combinations were obtained. F1 populations had higher yield and fiber length values than their parents and F2 populations. F2 populations had more unfavorable color values (L: whiteness, a*: red-green, and b*: yellow-blue) than their colored parents but were superior to F1s. The ratio of general combination ability variance to specific combination ability variance was less than 1, indicating that yield, ginning out-turn, fiber quality, and color parameters were controlled by non-additive genes. In the biplot graph, color and fiber parameters are located in the opposite direction from yield, indicating that it is difficult to develop colored cotton with high yield and fiber quality. Among the 960 F2 single plants evaluated, ten plants were carefully selected according to the optimization of yield, fiber quality, and color values. Based on potential diallel crosses of the ten selected plants, it was decided to begin a recurrent selection with that population. Furthermore, it was determined that F2 seeds of Nazilli DT-15 x I(center dot)pek-607 and Gelincik x Giza-75 combinations may be successfully given to farmers.