GENE ACTION AND COMBINING ABILITY FOR NEPS AND SEED COAT NEPS IN COTTON (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Abstract

Information about heritability and combining ability for neps and seed coat neps is necessary for the cotton breeding strategies. Seven cotton cultivars including 4 lines and 3 testers were mated in line x tester mating design. The 19 genotypes were grown in RCBD with three replications in Aydın-Turkey conditions during 2014 growing season. Non-additive gene action was important in the expression of seed coat nep size, nep count and nep size. The parental lines Carmen and Claudia were good combiners for most neppiness characteristics. Carmen x Flash, Julia x ST-468, Claudia x Carisma and Gloria x Flash were the superior crosses for selection in further generations of neppiness breeding. It was recommended that the selection of individual plants for neppiness should be performed in later generations (F4-F6).