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Some Sources of Variability in Boll and Fiber Properties of Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)¹

Sources of variability in cotton fiber quality were studied by a series of experiments carried out over a period of several years. Homozygosity or heterozygosity of the individual plants or of the strain had only a small effect on variability. Environmental fluctuations were a major cause of variability within each variety, inbred line, or doubled haploid studied. Varieties differed in homeostasis, or buffering against environmental fluctuation, and homeostasis was not the same for all properties studied. It is suggested that cotton breeders can minimize the effects of environmental fluctuation on fiber quality, either by breeding and selection for buffering systems effective over a wider range of environments, or by breeding plants with a shorter season, so that they will not require adjustment to the unfavorable environment which lowers fiber quality of bolls developed just before frost.

Key Words: Homeostasis • Doubled haploids • Environment

² Associate Geneticist, Delta Branch, Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station, Stoneville, Miss. 38776, and Geneticist (retired), Crops Research Division. U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Received for publication June 13, 1970.