Four upland cotton germplasm lines with improved fiber quality

Yarns from all fibers traditionally were produced by aligning the fibers and adding twist. That technique was mechanized over time and today is referred to as ring spinning. About 1970, open‐end spinning technology was introduced that offers increased speed of production while ring offers flexibility in size and quality of yarn. More recently, air jet spinning technology, also called vortex or Murata Vortex Spinning (MVS), provides spinning speeds that exceed that of open‐end and is reportedly 20 times faster than ring. Vortex spinning technology is more suited for man‐made fibers than for cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.) fibers, which by their nature are variable in length, diameter, maturity, etc. For upland cotton fibers to compete with man‐made fibers as MVS technology is adopted, breeders must develop genotypes with fiber properties different than current cultivars. The average fiber length of U.S. upland cotton in 2024 was 28.8 mm and average strength was 296 kN m kg −1 . These and other characteristics must be improved if upland cotton is to remain a natural fiber of choice that is spinnable on the new MVS technology. TAM JG‐255 ESU (Reg no. GP‐1170, PI 709156), averaged 22% stronger fibers than the predominant comparison cultivar, Tamcot 73, TAM AU‐095 ELSU (Reg no. GP‐1169, PI 709155) averaged 9% stronger fibers, and TAM 18J‐13 ELSU‐ESU (Reg no. GP‐1167, PI 709153) and TAM 18L‐37 ELSU‐ESU (Reg no. GP‐1168, PI 709154) averaged 13% stronger fibers. The MVS yarn quality, as defined by yarn tensile strength and appearance of yarn produced with TAM JG‐255 ESU was superior to Tamcot 73.