Screening Some Advanced Upland Cotton (Gossypium Hirsutum L.) Genotypes Tolerance Under Water Deficit

Upland cotton is the most widely cultivated among cotton species and is the best natural fiber source for the textile industry. However, abiotic stress, particularly drought stress, adversily affects important cotton planting regions. This study uses phenotypic drought markers to ascertain the tolerances of some advanced cotton lines under the limited irrigation conditions obtained from the drought-tolerant variety development breeding program. The study was conducted according to the randomized plot design with three replications. A total of 16 genotypes were used, with fourteen lines selected from the F2 segregation stage of the drought-tolerant variety breeding program, and two varieties used as control varieties. Variance analysis (ANOVA) was conducted, the differences between the means were found to be significant (P