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Heterosis Studies for Yield and Fibre Quality Traits in GMS based Asiatic Cotton (Gossypium arboreum L.) Hybrids

Minakshi Jattan1, Sandeep Kumar1, Amit1, Somveer Nimbal1, Shiwani Mandhania1, Karmal Singh Malik1, Shubham Lamba1, Deepak Kumar1,*
1Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125 004, Haryana, India.

ABSTRACT

Background: Cotton is a natural fibre grown in over 100 countries worldwide and is a key agricultural crop that provides raw material for various industries (Radhakrishnan, 2017). One effective strategy to address yield and productivity issues, as well as reduce cultivation costs, is to utilize the Gossypium arboreum species. This species has the ability to thrive in rainfed conditions, is resistant to sucking pests and requires fewer inputs compared to Bt cotton hybrids.

Methods: Twenty-nine genetic male sterility -based intra-arboreum cotton hybrids were evaluated for yield and fibre quality traits compared to the standard check AAH 1. The study was conducted in a randomized block design with three replications at the research area of the cotton section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar during the Kharif season of 2023.

Result: Analysis of variance showed significant differences for all traits. The standard heterosis for seed cotton yield varied from -47.1% (AAH 73) to 23.67% (AAH 59). Hybrid AAH 59 displayed the highest positive standard heterosis for lint yield (35.03%) and ginning outturn (9.22%), while the highest standard heterosis for seed index (29.14%) was observed in hybrid AAH 60. Based on standard heterosis, hybrids AAH 59, AAH 54, AAH 66 and AAH 58 showed promise for seed cotton yield and its related traits, while hybrids AAH 61, AAH 47, AAH 56 and AAH 55 performed well for seed cotton yield and fibre quality traits. These heterotic crosses can be utilized for enhancing seed cotton yield and improving fibre quality.

INTRODUCTION

Cotton (Gossypium arboreum) is one of the natural fibres cultivated in more than100 countries of the world. It holds prominent position among the agricultural crops which supplies raw material forthe industries (Radhakrishnan, 2017). India possesses highest cotton acreage in the world i.e. around 40% of world area of 324.16 lakh hectares and one of the largest producers and consumers of cotton. Cotton plays a vital role in country’s economy, which directly supports millions of farmers and forms the backbone of the textile industry. All the four cultivated species i.e. G. arboreum, G. herbaceum, G. hirsutum and G. barbadense have been commercially cultivated in India. In the beginning right from independence to 1972, cotton varieties belonging to G. arboreum, G. herbaceum and G. hirsutum were cultivated at large scale and the cotton productivity was just 152 kg lint/ha. After the development and introduction of hybrid cotton (1972-2002), the productivity was doubled. Further, with the introduction of Bt cotton hybrids in 2002; most of the area under cotton cultivation was occupied by G. hirsutum species and the productivity was increased 40 to 60%. It reached maximum of 565 kg lint/ha during 2013-14 and later started declining drastically due to the incidence of pests like pink bollworm, the sucking pests (jassid Amrasca biguttula, whitefly Bemisia tabaci and thrips Thrips sp.), diseases (root rot, leaf spot, boll rot, grey mildew, Tobacco streak virus and cotton leaf curl disease) (Khadi, 2021).
       
One of the viable strategies to overcome yield and productivity challenges coupled with low cost of cultivation; is the use of Gossypium arboreum specieswith the inherent potential to sustain under rainfed conditions, resistant to sucking pests and requires low inputs as compared to Bt cotton hybrids. This species was being ignored after the introduction of Bt cotton, mainly due to its small boll size, short and coarse fibre which is chiefly used as surgical cotton in our country. Therefore, it is necessary to harness the full potential of this species by developing varieties and hybrids possessing high yield and fibre quality. To achieve this objective, appropriate breeding strategies are urgently required. Heterosis breeding programme which involves selection of superior crosses on the basis of heterosis is one of such strategies. Hence, in the present study genetic male sterility (GMS) based desi cotton hybrids were evaluated for heterosis studies for yield and fibre quality traits.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The experimental material comprised of thirty intra-specific hybrids of G. arboreum (29 hybrids and one standard check i.e. AAH 1). The material was generated by using genetic male sterile lines as female parents and elite genotypes as male parents. The experimental material was evaluated in a randomized block design (RBD) with three replications during Kharif 2023 at Research Area of Cotton Section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar. The plot size was 16.2 m2 for each hybrid; comprising four rows of 6 m length with a spacing of 67.5 x 60 cm. The standard package of practices was followed to raise the crop. Data were recorded on 13 different traits viz., Days to 50% flowering, plant height (cm), number of sympods/plant, number of bolls/plant, boll weight (g), seed cotton yield (kg/ha), ginning outturn (%), seed index (g), lint yield (kg/ha), fibre length (mm), uniformity index, strength or tenacity (g/tex) and micronaire value (mg/inch). The plot yield was taken forseed cotton yield and lint yield which was converted into kg/ha for statistical analysis. Data on other traits were recorded on five randomly selected plants in each replication. The fibre quality parameters were measured by using the High Volume Instrument operated in the HVI Mode. The mean values of all the hybrids for all the traits were used for statistical analysis. Standard heterosis was estimated as suggested by Rai (1978).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The analysis of variance showed significant differences among the hybrids for all the traits (Table 1). The mean performance and standard heterosis of different hybrids for all the traits were calculated and presented in Table 2, 3 and 4.

Table 1: Analysis of variance for seed cotton yield, its attributing and fibre quality traits in desi cotton (G. arboreum).



Table 2: Mean values and estimates of standard heterosis for days to 50% flowering, plant height, number of sympods, boll number and boll weight in desi cotton (G. arboreum).



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Table 3: Mean values and estimates of standard heterosis for seed cotton yield, ginning outturn, seed index and lint yield in desi cotton (G. arboreum).



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Table 4: Mean values and estimates of standard heterosis for fibre quality traits in desi cotton (G. arboreum).


       
Days to 50% flowering ranged from 73 to 78 days among the hybrids. Nine hybrids showed significant positive standard heterosis and two hybrids showed significant negative standard heterosis (Table 2). The genotypes which take less time to flower are considered suitable as yield losses due to insect-pest and diseases get minimized in such genotypes (Khadi et al., 2010). Venugopalan et al., (2014) also reported the advantages of such hybrids which take less time to flower and mature. Two hybrids i.e. AAH 56  and AAH 76 were found promising as depicted by the minimum days to 50% flowering (73 days) and significant negative standard heterosis in desirable direction (-4.37 and -3.93%). Similar findingshave been reported by Udaya et al., (2023); Vanapariya et al., (2022) and Hottigodar et al., (2023).
       
Very tall genotypes are not desirable in cotton as plant’s energy gets utilized more towards vegetative growth than the reproductive growth. In this study, all hybrids were very tall. Among all hybrids, AAH 40 had minimum plant height (177 cm) and AAH 74 had maximum (236 cm), whereas heterosis ranged from -7.13 to 24.06%. Sixteen hybrids showed significant positive standard heterosis for plant height (Table 2). However, none of the hybrid showed significant negative standard heterosis. Borgaonkar et al., (2024) also reported similar findings in desi cotton. Further, when significant standard heterotic (positive and negative) cross combinations for seed cotton yield were compared with respective heterosis for plant height; an inverse correlation for these traits was observed in most of the hybrids. Hence, heterosis in negative direction is desirable for plant height so as to get positive heterosis for seed cotton yield.
       
The sympodial branches bear fruits or bolls which contribute to the seed cotton yield. The number of sympods/plant was minimum in AAH 41 and AAH 47 (16 sympods/plant) and maximum in AAH 54 and AAH 63 (27 sympods/plant). Ten hybrids showed significant positive standard heterosis in desirable direction, where the maximum heterosis i.e. 26.25% was exhibited by the hybrids AAH 54  and AAH 63 (Table 2). The boll number ranged from 39 bolls/plant (AAH 68) to 58 bolls/plant (AAH 59) and nine hybrids i.e. AAH 59 (29.36%), AAH 54 (25.21%), AAH 55 (25.14%), AAH 66 (20.60%), AAH 56 (17.45%), AAH 41 (16.35%), AAH 61 (15.45%), AAH 47 (14.20%) and AAH 58 (14.16%) showed significant positive standard heterosis for boll number (Table 2). These results were in agreement with the findings of Vavdiya et al., (2019); Richika et al., (2021), Keerthivarman et al., (2022) and Borgaonkar et al., (2024). The boll weight was observed minimum in AAH 73 (1.73 g) and maximum in AAH 60 (2.95 g). The significant standard positive heterosis for boll weight was observed in four hybrids i.e. AAH 60 (7.65%), AAH 50 (6.44%), AAH 61 (6.32%) and AAH 54 (4.86%). Similar results were reported by Richika et al., (2021).
       
The mean seed cotton yield ranged from 2257 kg/ha (AAH 73) to 5267 kg/ha (AAH 59). The significant standard heterosis ranged from -47.01 to 23.67% for seed cotton yield. Eight hybrids namely, AAH 59 (23.67%), AAH 61 (17.15%), AAH 47 (16.91%), AAH 56 (16.42), AAH 54 (16.31%), AAH 55 (15.04%), AAH 66 (14.93%) and AAH 58 (12.56%) showed significant standard positive heterosis for seed cotton yield (Table 3). Giri et al., (2021) and Jattan et al., (2022) also observed similar results.
       
The ginning outturn was recorded minimum in AAH 39 (34.6%) and maximum in the hybrid AAH 59 (41.9%). The significant positive standard heterosis for ginning outturn was exhibited by 12 hybrids i.e.AAH 59 (9.22%),AAH 69 (6.70%), AAH 56 (6.52%), AAH 62 (5.83%), AAH 71 (5.65%), AAH 70 (5.48%), AAH 47 (4.52%), AAH 61  and AAH 73 (4.09%), AAH 72 (3.47%), AAH 60 (3.22%) and AAH 46 (2.35%) as depicted in Table 3. The seed index ranged from 4.6 to 6.5 g among the hybrids. Twenty six hybrids displayed significant positive standard heterosis for seed index. The highest seed index was shown by the hybrid AAH 60 (29.14%) followed by AAH 64 (26.49%) and AAH 67 (23.84%). Pavitra et al., (2019), Chakholoma et al., (2021), Keerthivarman et al., (2022) and Borgaonkar et al., (2024) also reported similar results. The lint yield among the hybrids ranged from 901 kg/ha (AAH 73) to 2205 kg/ha (AAH 59). Seven hybrids showed significant positive standard heterosis for lint yield. The hybrid AAH 59 (35.03%) followed by AAH 54 (24.12%), AAH 56 (23.99%), AAH 47 (22.22%) and AAH 61 (21.88%) showed highly significant heterosis for lint yield (Table 3). These results are in agreement withthe findings of Rani et al., (2020).
       
Fibre length is an important fibre quality parameter which determines the utility of cotton fibre in textile industry or for some other purpose. The fibre length was short to medium long among the hybrids. The fiber length was maximum in the hybrid AAH 64 (24.6 mm) and minimum in AAH 54 (18.1 mm). Twenty three hybrids exhibited significant positive standard heterosis in desirable direction (Table 4). Abro et al., (2014) and Chinchane et al., (2018) also obtained similar results. The uniformity index (UI) was low to average and it ranged from 77 (AAH 54) to 81 (AAH 64, AAH 71, AAH 72 and AAH 75). Seventeen hybrids showed significant positive standard heterosis in desirable direction and none of the hybrid showed significant negative standard heterosis for uniformity index (Table 4). Hamed and Said (2021) and Hottigodar  et al. (2023) also reported similar results for uniformity of fibre lengths in terms of uniformity ratio (UR).
       
Fibre strength or tenacity was found to be maximum (23.1 g/tex) in the hybrid AAH 64, whereas minimum (18.6 g/tex) in AAH 54 (Table 4). Twenty two hybrids showed significant positive standard heterosis in desirable direction. It was maximum in the hybrid AAH 64 (19.48%) followed by AAH 63 (16.55%) and AAH 67 (15.34%). Similar findings were reported by Shinde et al., (2021) and Hottigodar et al., (2023). The micronaire value determines whether the fibre is fine or coarse. A low micronaire value is desirable for the fine quality of the fibre and hence heterosis in negative direction is desirable for micronaire. The micronaire value ranged from 5.8 (AAH 74) to 7.1 µg/inch (AAH 54) and standard heterosis ranged from -14.71 (AAH 74) to 4.4% (AAH 54). Twenty three hybrids showed significant negative standard heterosis in desirable direction (Table 4). Borgaonkar et al., (2024) also observed similar results in G. arboreum.

CONCLUSION

The current analysis revealed significant amount of standard heterosis for various traits. This implies the potential for cotton improvement through heterosis breeding. In most of the hybrids fibre quality was compromised for seed cotton yield or vice-versa. However, four hybrids i.e. AAH 61, AAH 47, AAH 56 and AAH 55; showed significant standard heterosis in desirable direction for both seed cotton yield and fibre quality traits. Four hybrids viz., AAH 59, AAH 54, AAH 66 andAAH 58 showed significant standard heterosis in desirable direction only for seed cotton yield and its attributing traits.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

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