Q - Score: Improvement In Predictive Value

As reported at four previous Beltwide Conferences, the quality score index (QS), was developed using four fiber properties provided from high volume instrument (HVI) testing.  The reason for development of QS is two-fold: 1) nearly 80% of US grown cotton is being exported to international buyers, and 2) breeders could use one easy to calculate fiber quality number, rather than four or more, to make discard decisions in their programs.  Most international buyers demand longer staple length, less variation in micronaire, increased length uniformity, and acceptable strength.   QS allows cotton breeders to easily and quickly select strains in a breeding program using the fiber quality properties discussed above.  The objective of this project was to: 1) model spinning performance using QS and 2) compare predictive ability on spinning performance.  Analysis of data from the Regional High Quality Trials indicates that adjusted weightings should be made in the properties used in QS to increase its predictive value as measured by R² values.