Performance of some advanced genotypes of cotton in terms of CMT, CLCuV and yield

Cotton leaf curl virus (CLCuV) and heat stress are the major threats to cotton productivity in Pakistan. Both these factors inflicted huge losses in recent years. Thirty one genotypes of Gossypium hirsutum L. were sown in the experimental area of Cotton Research Institute, Faisalabad, Pakistan, on 25th of May for the purpose of screening against aforementioned stresses. Analysis of variance revealed significant variation among the tested genotypes. Some of the genotypes showed promising results in terms of CLCuV and also showed fair stability of their membranes. The strain FH- 142 showed excellent tolerance level against CLCuV and heat stress by showing the values of 0.4% for cotton leaf curl virus and membrane stability of 46.1%. The other genotypes that showed promising results in terms of CLCuV % are FH-330, MNH-886, MNH-814 and FH-312 and regarding heat stress MNH-456, FH-142, FH-118, CRSM- 38 and NIAB-112 exhibited promising results by showing the CMT % of 46.4%, 46.1, 45.5, 45.5, 44.1, and 41.9%, respectively. The findings of the experiment may be helpful in designing breeding programmes regarding CLCuV and heattolerance as material had considerable potential for better yield as well.