Random mating crossing schemes have been successfully utilized in self and cross-pollinated crops to break negative associations between traits. The objectives of this study were: 1) to develop improved breeding populations via the breakage of negative linkages and accumulation of favorable linkages and 2) to assess the effect of five cycles of random mating on recombination and correlations among agronomic traits. Eleven upland cotton genotypes selected on their different pedigrees and area of origin were intercrossed in a half diallel-crossing scheme in 2002. Bulked pollen methodology was used for six consecutive growing seasons (2003-2005) at Tecoman, Colima, Mexico and Mississippi to obtain fifty-five half-sib families. Parents and half sib families (C₀S₁) and (C₅S₁) were grown at the Plant Science Research Center, Mississippi State, MS in the summer of 2006 at two locations in a randomized complete block design with four replicates. Results indicated that recombination for alleles conditioning most of the agronomic and fiber traits were obtained. Random mating is an excellent tool that can be used in the development of improved breeding populations in cotton.