Article No.: 080519153

The present study
contained 16 testing genotypes and was laid out in a Randomized Complete
Block Design (RCBD) with four replications at Werer Agricultural Research
Center (WARC). This experiment was conducted with the objective of
evaluating the performance of segregating inbred lines. The analysis of
variance revealed that the tested genotypes differed significantly
(p<0.05) in number of sympodial branches plant-1(SYM), Plant height
(PLH), boll number plant-1 (BOP), Boll weight (BOW), Seed cotton yield ha-1
(SHA),Ginning percentage (GP),and lint yield ha-1(LHA), hundred seed weight
(HSW), micronaire (Mic), upper half mean length (Uhml), Fiber Strength(Str)
and Short fiber content (Sf). A one degree of contrast between the mean of
the 14 F5 inbred lines and the mean of the two parents was significant for
all traits except some traits. All 14 inbred lines included in this study
were better than both parents in SYM, BOP, SHA, GP, and LHA, but were
inferior to both parents in BOW, indicating that there was transgressive
expression of the majority of traits. Additive genes were dispersed in the
two parents for these traits. The mean separation analysis of seed cotton
yield revealed superior inbred lines that excelled their parents viz., K
(5170.3kg/ha), G (5072 kg/ha) and I (4987 kg/ha). The yield advantage
obtained from most of the inbred lines was more than 10% in both seed cotton
yield and lint yield compared with the parents. The inbred line with the
highest value was superior to the parent with the highest value by 34% in
SYM (inbred line I (15.25 vs 11.38), by 39.94% in BOP (inbred line I; 17.59
vs 12.57), by 26.7% in SHA (inbred line K; 51.7 vs 40.8), by 33.1% in LHA
(inbred line K; 20.92 vs 15.72). Deltapine-90 was inferior to Delecero in
Upper half mean length (Uhml) (27.90 vs 32.92), Uniformity percentage (80.4
vs 83.88), and in Strength (25.78 vs 36.33). The higher fiber quality of
Delecero was expressed in its higher Uhml, strength, and its lower
percentage of short fiber content (Sf, 8.0%).Deltapine-90 could not
contribute any additive genes for the improvement of fiber quality traits
like Uhml, strength and uniformity. 
It had one of the lowest means for the three traits. Breeders should
look for appropriate germplasm that can contribute to the improvement of
these fiber quality traits. Delcero should be backcrossed, with high yielder
inbred lines to transfer its main fiber quality trait like fiber strength
and length. Thus, these inbred lines could be potential varieties for future
use by combining important quality traits through back crossing.

Submitted: 05/08/2019

*Corresponding Author

Alehegn Workie Amanu

E-mail: alehegnworkie@
yahoo.com