Effects of Verticillium Wilt on Photosynthesis, Yield and Fiber Quality of Greenhouse-Grown Upland Cotton Lines

Verticillium wilt is a soil-borne disease that systematically infects cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and drastically reduces crop productivity. To investigate the effect of Verticillium wilt on photosynthesis rate, yield, and fiber quality, six upland cotton lines were grown at Texas A&M Research and Extension Center, Lubbock TX, under greenhouse condition following randomized complete design with six replications in 2018 and 2019. Each Verticillium wilt inoculated cotton plant was evaluated against the control. The result of preliminary data collected on photosynthesis rate, leaf conductance, transpiration rate, and inter-cellular CO2 concentration showed significant variability among verticillium inoculated cotton breeding lines. Two years of data analyses on the effect of the pathogen on some agronomic traits, lint yield, and fiber properties are in progress.