Registration of RMUP‐C5, a Random Mated Population of Upland Cotton Germplasm

RMUP‐C5 (Random Mated Upland Population Cycle 5) (Reg. No. GP‐893, PI 652942) is a unique random mated germplasm population of Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) involving six cycles of random mating beginning with an 11 parent half diallel. This germplasm was developed through cooperative research by the USDA‐ARS, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, North Carolina State Agricultural Experiment Station, and Cotton Incorporated. Parents used in development represented nonrelated or distantly related cultivars or breeding lines from across the U.S. Cotton Belt. The bulked pollen method of pollination was used in the development, and there were six cycles of random mating, with intercrossing of the F1 considered cycle zero. Selfed seed of C5S1 has been released. Changes in correlations between traits among parents, C0, and C5 cycles show that after random mating, the C5 population has recombinations that should be useful for selection and cultivar development. Because this germplasm represents random mating among 11 very diverse breeding programs and includes parents from the major seed breeding companies, this population should be of value to breeders across the U.S. Cotton Belt.