Análise dialética em algodoeiro (Gossypium hirsutum L.) para tolerância à seca

Abstract

Cotton is a crop of large economic value at worldwide. The Brazilian production is around 1.5 million tons, coming mainly from the Mid West, Southeast and Northeast region, specially Cerrado areas. Despite to importance of crop to Brazil, there is a broad demand to investment in breeding area focusing on selection of promising genotypes as to yield and regional adaptation. In order to attend this demand, breeding programs have focused on generation of different lines by hybridization, using robust genitors, aiming broaden the genetic background of the lines and to favor the selection procedures. In this study we used 20 cotton lines, obtained through diallel crosses with parents of Moco and herbaceous types, aiming to estimate the GCC and SCC in materials tolerant to drought, based on agronomic traits. The study was carried out in semiarid environment, at Barbalha Station, CE, in dry season, using water supplementation. After the appearance of the first buds, plants were subjected to 23 days of water suppression, and re-established watering thereafter. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with 20 treatments and factorial scheme (20 x 2), and three replications. The variables evaluated were: plant height, Productivity, fiber percentage, Boll weight, Rising of first flower and Rising of first boll. Additionally, total chlorophyll content in leaves was determined. The statistical analysis wasperformed by GENE program. Analyses of combinatorial capacities were performed according to the method adapted by Griffing (1956), which estimates the effects of GCC of each parent and the effects of SCC. There was wide variation between the parents for the analyzed variables. The follow parents showed best estimates of GCA, and therefore, have more favorable alleles, based on traits studied: BRS 286, CNPA 5M and CNPA 7MH. To SCC, the hybrids BRS 286 X CNPA 5M, BRS RUBI X CNPA 5M and BRS 286 X BRS Serido demonstrated complementarity Plant hight and porductivity. The estimates of GCC and SCC presented in this paper provided valuable inputs to cotton improvement, as to both parents and hybrid selections.