Friday, January 6, 2017: 8:00 AM
Reunion C (Hyatt Regency Dallas)
Cotton (Gossypium) has a long history of cultivation in Africa, witnessed by the presence of traditional cotton plants conserved in the villages. A collection of traditional cotton accessions conserved as perennial plants by farmers was made throughout Burkina Faso beginning in 2008. The collection represents a wide range of diversity within the genus. Although the species G. hirsutum is the only cultivated species in the region, the collection of traditional cotton identified four major domesticated species based on morphological and botanical traits. It included G. arboreum and G. herbaceum (represented by a single specimen) as diploid species, and G. barbadense and G. hirsutum as tetraploid species. Within G. hirsutum, those grown as annuals and perennials were distinguished. The genetic diversity and population structure of 121 accessions of the collection as assessed by SSR marker polymorphism clearly identified the four pre-defined groups. The persistence of anciently cultivated cotton species and their maintenance by villagers is remarkable and fairly unique as they were introduced in the continent in the 16th century. This genetic resource could possess promising attributes related to environmental adaptation or to traditional uses, and it needs to be properly characterized and preserved either in-situ or ex-situ.