Genetic Gains in Fiber Quality from the 1900s to Present in Upland Cotton

Determination of fiber quality is performed by High Volume Instrument (HVI) testing that only became widely used by breeders in the 1980s. Today, additional fiber parameters can be determined by Advanced Fiber Information System (AFIS) technologies, which are slower and more expensive, and therefore not widely used. This leads to the question of whether or not objective determination of fiber quality has led to an increase in genetic gains over the last 40 years. In this study, 73 upland cultivars  were selected that had been developed from the early 1900s to the current era, and representing the different development regions throughout the United States. Genotypes were planted in a RCB design with three replications at Weslaco, TX (irrigated) and Corpus Christi, TX (dryland) in 2016. Thirty-boll samples were taken from each plot, and HVI and AFIS data were collected. Genetics gains analysis was performed.