YANG Dai-Gang, MA Xiong-Feng, ZHOU Xiao-Jian, ZHANG Xian-Liang, BAI Feng-Hu, WANG Hai-Feng, MENG Qing-Qin, PEI Xiao-Yu, YU Shu-Xun
Cotton Science. 2012, 24(3): 191-198.
The general and specific combining ability of ten upland cotton strains for ten traits was assessed in 45 hybrids using an incomplete diallel analysis. The genetic distance between the ten upland cotton strains was estimated using molecular marker data. All ten parents contributed both additive and non-additive genetic effects to their offspring. The analyses of combining ability of the parents indicated that the ten parents showed significant general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability(SCA). Furthermore, correlation analyses showed that the GCAs of seed cotton yield, lint yield and lint percentage were significantly correlated with heterosis, as well as that between the SCAs of the fiber length, fiber strength, micronaire, plant height, number of fruit branch, boll number per plant, single boll weight, seed cotton yield, lint yield and lint percent characters and heterosis, while the correlations between SCAs of 10 characters and genetic distance (GD) were not. Heterosis of boll number per plant, single boll weight, seed cotton yield, lint yield and lint percent were significantly or highly significantly correlated with genetic distance. Therefore, all of the significant or highly significant traits could have a high potential for improvement in cotton breeding programs.