Comparative Performance of Various Advance Cotton Strains as Tested in 2015-16 National Coordinated Varietal Trials (NCVT) of Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC)

Abstract

Pakistan Central Cotton Cotntnittee (PCCC) has been delegated the authority, 1Vationa/ Seed Council, to conduct Nat ional Coordinated Varietal Trials (NCVT) on its behalf every year ·with the objec tive to screen high yielding and stress resistant advance strains o_f cotton 1neeting national .fiber standards tested and tria/ed at all agr o-eco/ogica/ zones o_f the national cotton belt. During the crop year 2015-16,seventy two (72) strains including 15 non-Bt, 57Bt (55 OPVs and 2 Hybrids) were tested against standard con1n1ercial varieties (non Bt CRlS - 129 and C!M-573, Bt FH- 142 and ClM -602) at twelve locations throughout the cotton belt o.f Pakistan. ·rota/ thirty t>vo (42) strains  (12 non-Bt  and  30 Bt)  were develop ed  by publi c sector breeders and twenty (30) strains (3 non-Bf, twenty twoBt and t>vo Bt hybrid5) were subn1itted by private sector bre edersfo r testing. These strains were divided intofour  sets. Set-A compri sed of  non-Bt strains, Set-B, C and were of Bt strains ft· om public and private sector   breeders. Fron1 non -Bt strains CRJS -129 (Standard) was on top with the national a verage y ield 298 7kg per hectare. Fron1 set -BBt Strains Vr/ -327 gave highest seed-couonyield i.e. 2527k.g per hectare. Top pe 1jon ning Bt strainji ·o111 Set ­ C was NIAB-878B >vith average national pr oduction oj ' 2475kg per hectare. Fro1n Set -D Eagle-I produced 2387k.g per hectare seed cotton yield. All strain alniost showed GOT"/o and otherfib er characteristics higher than the recom1nended national standards. T111ostrains viz. CEMB -77 and CEMB-88 >11ere .found to contain two insect-resistant genes (C1yl Ac and       C1y2A)  that were developed by the Centre oj 'Excel/ence.for Molecular Biology