Improving Cotton Resistance to Fusarium- Race 4

FOV-Race 4 is a recent disease in Texas that threatens the viability of cotton production in infected fields. The best method of control is through host plant resistance. Over the past two years, the cotton breeding program at Texas A&M University in College Station has been screening germplasm, creating new populations, and reselecting lines from the most resistant lines in order to improve resistance to this disease. Although our efforts have only recently begun, substantial progress has been made in finding lines with improved resistance in field conditions. These lines will serve as important breeding material in the race to develop cotton varieties for fields with FOV - Race 4.