Progress in Screening the U.S. Cotton Germplasm Collection for Diversity

The  diversity of traits in the U.S. Cotton Germplasm Collection ( landraces, exotic and wild species )  has proven to be a resource for cotton breeders to introduce valuable genes into a breeding program. The Texas A&M Agrilife Research Cotton Improvement Program at Lubbock has been actively screening the cotton collection for potential  trait improvements under the categories of  abiotic and biotic stress, as well as, phenotypic documentation.  These include:   growth studies, documenting contrasting seedling development, determined by evaluating plant biomass;  hydroponic screening,  to understand the plant’s response to saline conditions;  and using both free-choice and no-choice screening methods for assessing plant’s tolerance to thrips injury. In this review,  data will show evaluation efforts made from screening the collection for potential traits that can be utilized in a breeding program.