Plant breeding and improvement of the cotton plant

Abstract

Cotton breeding research is directed to the development of cultivars that can be grown with maximum economic profit. Yield is a function of bolls per unit area, seed per boll and lint per seed, and its improvement depends on favourable alternatives to one or more of these components. Some breeding programmes place emphasis on fibre and spinning characteristics, while resistance to disease and insect pests and adaptation to mechanized harvesting are increasingly important objectives.