PRE-BREEDING

Pre-Breeding Programme

PAU, Faridkot:

Third backcross generation (BC3F1) derived from G. hirsutum/G. armourianum/G. hirsutum cross was planted during kharif 2022. The population was screened for CLCuD and plants resistant to the disease were identified. Crosses of these CLCuD resistant plants were attempted with upland cotton varieties and advance lines such as PAU Bt 3, FBt 1908 and FBt 1904. Few BC4F1 seeds were developed from these crosses which will be sown to advance the generation and crossed with G. hirsutum parents in kharif 2023.

NAU, Surat

• Crosses between available wild species and cultivated diploid and tetraploid cotton species.

Above derivatives will be reciprocally crossed with G. Cot.10 (good general combiner) and GN. Cot.22 (stable inter specific cross derivatives involving four cultivated cotton species and three wild species viz., G.stocksii, G.armouriamum and G.anomalum) during 2023-24 season.

• Growing of successful crosses and back crossing with cultivated parents: The harvested four seeds from ({(G-6 X G. anomalum) X G. tomentosum} X G. Cot.10) X GN. Cot.22 and two seeds from ((Karnugani-1 X G. stocksii) X G. Cot.10) X GN. Cot.22 of previous year 21-22 were sown in nursery but they were not germinated.
• Following segregating introgression lines were shared with participating centers during 2022-23 GISV 331 X CCH 15-1 and GISV 323 X TCH 1716.

MPKV, Rahuri

Crossed G. arboreum and G. anomalum. Chromosome-doubled plants were obtained by colchicine treatment of the interspecific hybrid seeds of G. arboreum and G. anomalum. This Interspecific hybrid was crossed with either G. hirsutum or G. barbadense to obtained two types of tri species hybrids {(G. hirsutum x 2 (G. arboreum X G. anomalum) and G. barbadense X 2(G. arboreum X G. anomalum)}. However, these plants were highly sterile and produced no seeds by either selfing or backcrossing during the ten successive years (whether used as a paternal or maternal parent).

Flowers of tri species hybrids {(G. hirsutum x 2(G. arboreum X G. anomalum) were pollinated with pollens of G. hirsutum. Flowers of another and tri species hybrids G. barbadense X 2(G. arboreum X G. anomalum) were pollinated with pollens of G. barbadense. A mixture of growth regulators (100 mg/l NAA and 50 mg/l GA) was applied to the base of the pedicel of the cross-pollinated flowers. The developing bolls were harvested 15 DAP for embryo culture. At first, various combinations and concentrations of growth regulators were tested to standardized embryo rescue protocol. Initials studies with embryo culture showed promising results. Standardization of embryo rescue protocol is still in progress.

Individual plant selection of Pre-breeding material received from ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research, Regional Station, Coimbatore

Six Interspecific crosses were attempted. Optimum seed set was observed after crossing.

• G. arboreum X G. devidsonii
• G. hirsutum X G. devidsonii
• G. barbadense X G. devidsonii
• G. arboreum X G. raimondi
• G. hirsutum X G. raimondi
• G. barbadense X G. raimondi

CICR, Nagpur

Twenty-one (21) accessions of exotic seeds of Gossypium species under Import Permit No. 100/2021 and IQ No. 275/2021 were imported from USDA, USA and were sown in pots in the green house of wild species. All precautions were taken to prevent spread of exotic disease(s)/ pest(s). The entire material was sown in pots while few seeds were used for tissue culture at ICAR-CICR, Nagpur. Seeds of all the accessions germinated. Plants of all 16 accessions have been established in pots except for four accessions i.e Gossypium costulatum (EC1092750, PI 499771)), Gossypium nobile, Gossypium tomentosum (EC1092266, PI 530711) and Gossypium sturtianum (EC1092264, PI 530751) mentioned in the table below as the seedlings could not survive after germination.

Selfing and Back crossing with recurrent parent were attempted to advance the generation for the F1 crosses of [G. stocksii (drought tolerance) – 61 crosses attempted], [G. capitis virides (Bacterial Blight tolerance)- 86 crosses attempted and [G. davidsonii (tolerance to sucking pests, salinity & Bacterial blight) – 10 crosses attempted] but due to excess rains the crosses were washed out. These crosses will be repeated again in the next season.

Introgressed derivatives shared with other AICRP centres in 2022-23

• Twenty (20) introgressed lines with fairly good fibre fineness combined with tolerance to major pests and diseases
• Ten (10) stable progenies of G. arboreum race Indicum x G. davidsonii *[Special traits of
  G. davidsonii – tolerance to sucking pests, salinity & Bacterial blight]

TNAU, Coimbatore

• Evaluation of Pre- breeding materials: Stabilized lines of G. arboreum x G. longicalyx cross combination, G. arboreum x G. anomalum, GISV 318 (GN Cot 22) and GISV 316 x BGDS 1033 were raised and selfing was done for seed multiplication.
• F1 plants of F Bt 1908 x G.armourianum, PAU Bt 3 x G. armourianum and F Bt 1904 x G. armourianum are maintained in wild species garden of Dept. of Cotton. Hybridization with G. hirsutum variety CO 14 was attempted with all the above three crosses. Among the them, CO14 x (F Bt 1908 x G. armourianum ) resulted in setting of a singe boll and all the others were unsuccessful
• Seeds collected from selfed bolls of G. arboreum x G. anomalum(Stable line), segregating material GISV 316 x BGDS 1033 and GISV 318 (G.N. Cot.22) have been sown in wild species garden and were selfed.

CICR, Coimbatore

Generation advancement and evaluation of F2 lines: Among the lines maintained at CICR, RS, Coimbatore GISV 316 X BGDS 1063 was identified for more number of bolls per plant (76 Nos), followed by G.a x G.l (113-5) (73 Nos). The line NDLH x barbadense Race was found to be free from all diseases and sucking pests except Alternaria leaf spot.

Evaluation of stable lines from Nagpur: Among the 60 stable genotypes evaluated, NLSD 21052 was found to have significantly higher boll numbers (70) followed by NLSD 21022 (66 nos), and NLSD 21063, NLSD 21055, NLSD 21024 with 62 bolls on an average per plant. These lines were found to be early maturing, with big bolls and uniform maturing. The twenty stable lines developed from G. arboretum x G. davidsoni were found to be late maturing with very few boll number per plant ranging from 9 to 33 per plant.

Evaluation of segregating lines from Surat: The segregating lines viz., GISX 331 x CCH 15-1 (F3) and GISV 323 x DCH 1716 (F4) were found to have fertility ranging from 20-84 per cent with 26 to 78 bolls per plant