TITLE:
Genetic Diversity and Correlation Studies for Cotton Leaf Curl Disease (CLCuD), Fiber & Yield Related Attributes in Exotic Lines of Gossypium arboreum L.
AUTHORS:
Muhammad Idrees Khan, Hafiz Abdul Haq, Kalim Ullah, Muhammad Arshad, Abdul Majid
KEYWORDS:
Gossypium arboreum, Genetic Diversity, CLCuD, Yield, Lint % Age, Fiber Strength, Principle Component Analysis and Correlation
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.8 No.3,
February
28,
2017
ABSTRACT: Genetic diversity provides the foundation for crop
improvement. Genetic variation and associations among Cotton Leaf Curl Disease
(CLCuD), fiber and yield related traits were investigated in exotic lines of Gossypium arboreum L. in an experimental field at the Central Cotton
Research Institute (CCRI), Multan, Pakistan during the crop season
2011-12. One hundred and nineteen (119) accessions imported from USA through
the Pakistan and US “Cotton Productivity Enhancement Program” (CPEP), were
evaluated in this study. Various statistical approaches including descriptive
statistics, correlation and principal component analysis was performed to
evaluate and identify desirable genotypes. Results revealed that seed cotton
yield was significantly and positively correlated with boll weight and number
of bolls plant-1. Similarly, plant height was also significantly
correlated with sympodial branches, lint percentage and micronaire value. Lint
percentage showed a highly significant and positive correlation with plant
height, sympodial branches and micronaire value. With respect to fiber traits, negative
and significant relationships were observed
between the micronaire value (MIC) and fiber strength. CLCuD showed no
relationship with any of the studied traits, as all the G. arboreum L. lines evaluated were scored resistant
to CLCuD. Principal component analysis (PCA)
showed that the first four out of 11 components contributed about 65.88%
of the total variation having an eigen value greater than 1. Based on PCA, the
genotypes GS-4, GS-9, GS-8, GS-55 and GS-50 could be utilized successfully in a
future breeding program based on having the highest positive loading factor for
staple length (0.135) in PC1 and seed cotton yield (0.625), number of bolls
plant-1, boll weight, first sympodial nod, staple length and fiber
strength in PC2 respectively.