Evaluation for Yield, Yield Components, and Some Agronomic Traits of Natural Color Cotton Elite Lines (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

This study was conducted to evaluate the yield potential, yield components and some agronomic traits of 8 natural color cotton elite lines, which were improved by the National Corn and Sorghum Research Center [NCSRC], tested with 2 check varieties; Dora11, and Srisumrong60 in the early rainy season of 2022 at the NCSRC, Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart University, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand. The randomized complete block design [RCBD] with 3 replications was used with 25 plants/row, 4 rows/experimental unit, and data were recorded from middle row. It was found that 9 of 11 recorded traits of the tested cotton varieties/lines were significantly different. It comprised no. of days to 50% boll opening (107-114 days), plant ht (135-164 cm), no. of vegetative branch (1.2-3.4 branches/plant), no. of fruiting branch (12.3-14.6 branches/plant), seed wt (8.2-13.4 g/100 seeds), boll wt (4.28-5.71 g/boll), seed cotton yield (194-262 kg/rai), cotton lint yield (70-108 kg/rai), and ginning outturn (30.9-41.9%). While no. of days to 50% flowering (53-55 days) and no. of boll/plant (51.7-58.3 balls/plant) had a non-significant difference. The result of this study indicated that natural color cotton lines W535, W537 and W536 had a trend for higher lint yield than Dora11, Srisumrong60. The lint yields were 108, 105, 103, 93 and 80 kg/rai, respectively. While other 5 natural color lines had lint yield of 70-94 kg/rai.