Identification of Drought Tolerant Desi Cotton Genotypes Based on Drought Tolerance Indices

The present experiment was conducted in two environments viz. irrigated and rainfed, with three replications in randomized block design at Research Area of Cotton Section, Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar (Haryana) during Kharif 2021-22. Fifty elite desi cotton (Gossypium arboreum L.) genotypes were grown as experimental material. Five plants were randomly selected from each genotype and observations were recorded on eight morphological traits viz. plant height, number of monopods per plant, days to first flower, number of bolls per plant, boll weight, seed cotton yield per plant, number of seeds per boll, ginning out turn and six physiological traits viz. relative water content, photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, total chlorophyll content, proline content. Under both the environments, sufficient amount of variability was present among all the genotypes for all the studied traits. The significant decrease in mean performance of all genotypes was observed for all traits except proline content under rainfed condition. Based on drought tolerance indices viz. YSI (Yield Stability Index) and DSI (Drought Susceptibility Index), per se performance and other yield contributing traits, genotypes viz. P 533, P 551, PAIG 129, DA-3/02 and DA-2/02 were found most drought tolerant among all the test genotypes and these may be used in future cotton breeding programs to develop higher yielding and drought tolerant varieties.