An Evaluation of within - Plant Fiber Length Distributions of Commercial Cotton Varieties Grown in Multiple Environments and Under Different Irrigation Systems

Environmental conditions play an important role in the growth and development of cotton plants, and can greatly influence variety performance. Many cotton varieties are developed for specific environmental conditions and when grown outside of these environments unexpected differences in plant structure, maturity, fiber quality and yield may be observed. In 2012 and 2013, small plot experiments were conducted in the Mid-South and High Plains regions of the U.S. to evaluate within-plant variability in fiber properties of eight genetically diverse commercial cotton varieties grown under different environmental conditions. In-season observations were made to monitor plant development, and lint samples collected at maturity from individual fruiting positions were analyzed by AFIS in order to characterize within-plant variability in fiber properties.