Evaluation of spontaneous mutant lines of Gossypium barbadense (L.)

Among the species of Gossypium, G.barbadenese is being cultivated to a lesser extent due to its fragile adaption to climatic conditions. The species is having low genetic variability compared to the predominant tetraploid, G.hirsutum. Hence, creating variability is the prime objective of breeding in G.barbadense, to broaden the genetic base. Mutation occurring spontaneously are low in frequency and are often beneficial ones. In the present study, four spontaneous mutants namely EA 203, EA 68-1, E6, and EA 159 were identified and evaluated for their performance over three years. The study revealed stable performance of the mutants across the years. The mutants EA 203 and EA 68-1 are having brown lint and could be exploited for production of naturally colored cotton fabrics. The mutant EA 159 showed bigger boll size leading to higher yield and it can be used as parent for crossing to produce hybrids in order to exploit heterosis commercially.