Genetic distance between new Bulgarian cotton varieties

Neli Valkova

Abstract: The aim of this investigation was to establish the genetic distance of nine new cotton varieties based on five agronomic traits. The experiment includes the varieties Helius, Trakia, Boyana, Viki, Philipopolis, Kris, Plovdiv, Denitsa and Sirius. The varieties are with different origin and are obtained by applying different breeding methods. In 2013-2015 in thе Field Crops Institute in Chirpan field trials were carried out according to the adopted cotton growing technology. Total yield (kg/da), boll weight (g), lint percentage (%), fiber length (mm) and height of first fruit branch (cm) were determined. Multivariate methods - cluster and PC analyzes - were used. The cluster analysis based on the agronomic properties of varieties confirmed the genetic differences between them.The results showed that in genetic similarity, varieties are grouped into three clusters. The high yielding varieties Helios, Sirius and Kris are genetically related and fall into the first cluster. The most distant among them are the varieties Viki, Denitsa and Chirpan-539. The crossing between genetically similar varieties will ensure faster breeding progress. The hybridization between the groups “Helios, Sirius, Kris” and “Viky, Denitsa, Chirpan-539”, which are genetically highly distant, will create a bigger genetic diversity.

Keywords: breeding; cotton; economic traits; genetic distance; varieties

Date published: 2017-06-21