Agronomic performance for yield and fiber quality of new advanced cotton lines and genetic variability studies

Promising cotton lines included in a varietal trial, set up by block method, in four replicats, were evaluated for productivity and fiber quality. Genetic diversity was also assessed and broad sense heritability and genetic advance were determined. Significant variation between genotypes was found for all the traits under study. The conditions of years have influenced to the greatest extent the seed cotton yield of tested lines. Lines 709, 724, 654 and 678 emerged as the best, combining best productivity, lint percentage and fiber length. High genotypic (GCV) and phenotypic (PCV) coefficients of variations were recorded for seed cotton yield, moderate for boll weight and very low for lint percentage and fiber length. A very high value of genetic advance as percent of mean (GAM) was accounted for seed cotton yield (39.19%), moderate GAM values were recorded for boll weight and low to moderate for lint percentage and fiber length. Seed cotton yield showed high broad sense heritability, coupled with high genetic advance as percent of mean indicating the presence of additive genes and possibility of improving productivity through direct selection. High heritability, coupled with moderate genetic advance was recorded for boll weight, indicating both additive and non-additive genes and recurrent selection using both variances simultaneously could be applied for improving this trait. Lint percentage and fiber length showed high broad sense heritability coupled with low to moderate genetic advance as percent of mean revealing non-additive gene effects. Their improvement could be achieved through heterosis breeding and transgressive variability.