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To incorporate root traits that improve water use efficiency (WUE) in cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) variety development, harnessing the genetic variability for root traits is essential. The objectives of this study were to characterize the US upland cotton core set for root traits and WUE and determine the traits associated with WUE. The core set includes 23 of the 381 accessions of the cotton diversity panel and represents 74% of the allelic diversity in US upland cotton. Plants were grown in polyvinyl chloride columns (125‐cm height, 15‐cm diameter) in a greenhouse in 2021–2022 and 2022–2023. Half of the columns contained a synthetic hardpan (1 cm thickness, 300 PSI penetration resistance) at a depth of 25 cm. Plants were harvested when >50% of the population opened bolls. Based on 16 root‐ and shoot‐traits, water use, and WUE, Deltapine 14, Station Miller, and Southland M1 were the best performers, and Toole, Paymaster HS200, Western Stormproof, CD3HCABCUH‐1‐89, and PD 2164 were the poor performers irrespective of the presence or absence of hardpan stress to root growth. The WUE of the core set genotypes was positively correlated with very fine root (diameter <0.25 mm) length, surface area, and volume and total root weight (correlation coefficient ≥0.45). These traits serve as beneficial root traits for developing new varieties with enhanced WUE. The identified genotypes and traits will be valuable for developing the next generation of water‐use‐efficient cotton varieties with a broad genetic base through advanced breeding techniques involving genomic tools and genetic diversity. The US upland cotton core set includes significant genetic variability for water use efficiency and root traits.Root weight and very fine root (diameter <0.25 mm) length, surface area, and volume improve water use efficiency.Deltapine 14, Station Miller, and Southland M1 possessed beneficial root traits and high water use efficiency.The identified root traits and genotypes would be useful resources for cotton variety development.

There has been limited introduction of new cover crop species into cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) production within the last 30 years. Mounting evidence shows that traditional cover cropping species may be detrimental to cotton production, either by depleting soil fertility with crop removal, immobilizing minerals from high carbon residue, or excessive quantity of residue remaining at planting. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of growing a novel cover crop species, carinata (Brassica carinataA. Braun), as a winter annual cover crop for cotton rotation in the southeastern Coastal Plain. Over a 2‐year period, carinata, winter wheat (Triticum aestivumL.), and fallow covers were maintained over winter months, then rotated into cotton. Each year, seedcotton and lint yields were collected, along with subsamples for ginning and subsequent fiber quality analyses. Additionally, end‐of‐season plant mapping was conducted on plants from 1 m of row per plot to determine cover crop effects on boll formation, retention, and distribution, as well as canopy architecture. Results indicated that seedcotton and lint yield of cotton following carinata was greater than cotton following winter wheat, and lint yields of cotton following wheat were lower than cotton after fallow. Fiber quality was largely unaffected by preceding cover crop. End‐of‐season plant mapping indicated that cotton grown after carinata had more position 2 bolls, which correlated to greater lint yields. These results indicate that carinata can potentially serve as a new, more effective cover crop than winter wheat for cotton rotations in Coastal Plain soils. Cotton grown following a carinata cover crop had greater lint yields than when following wheat.Cotton grown after carinata had 60% more bolls plant−1than when following wheat or fallow.Yield was correlated to increases in position 2 boll retention and taller plants with more nodes.Fiber quality was minimally affected by growing cotton after carinata.Fallow systems may produce cotton yields similar to carinata, but lack the benefits of cover crops.

Pima (Gossypium barbadenseL.) cotton is currently grown commercially in the western United States and has exceptional fiber quality, which provides an economic value almost two times greater than Upland (Gossypium hirsutumL.) cotton. Due to limited experience with Pima production in the southeastern United States, our primary objective was to compare the growth, development, agronomic performance, and fiber quality of four Pima genotypes with a high‐yielding high fiber quality commercial Upland cultivar under irrigated and dryland conditions at different planting dates. Lint yields of all Pima genotypes were ∼50% less and had lower lint percentages (38.0–42.4%) than the Upland genotype (45.7%); however, the Pima genotypes had consistently lower micronaire values and increased fiber strength, length, and uniformity. Although irrigation did not significantly impact agronomic and fiber quality performance, plants grown under supplemental irrigation developed 10% more bolls throughout the season, mostly occurring on monopodial branches and at mainstem nodal positions above 15. Bolls on Pima genotypes were 13–34% smaller than the Upland genotype and developed at more distal and higher nodal positions in the plant canopy. The highest net returns were found in 2019 at the early planting date, displaying the importance of timely planting of Pima genotypes when grown in the southeastern United States. Results suggest that irrigation may not be required for Pima production in the southeast, early planting is preferred to obtain maximum yields, and increasing lint percent, boll number, or earliness through breeding may improve Pima yields in the southeastern United States. Early planting is desirable to maximize pima cotton production in the southeastern United States.Supplemental irrigation may not be required for southeastern U.S. pima cotton production.In comparison with Upland, more bolls did not translate to increased lint yield for pima cotton.

The genetic base for upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) is narrow for the economically important fiber traits of strength and length. We developed random mated population RMUP‐C5 from 11 parental lines and released seed in 2008. We have now developed 550 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from this population and evaluated them for fiber properties in eight environments. We report the development and release of seven RILs with improved fiber strength and/or upper half mean length: MS‐RIL‐009 (Reg. no. GP‐1100, PI 698460), MS‐RIL‐037 (Reg. no. GP‐1101, PI 698461), MS‐RIL‐204 (Reg. no. GP‐1102, PI 698462), MS‐RIL‐219 (Reg no. GP‐1103, PI 698463), MS‐RIL‐282 (Reg. no. GP‐1104, PI 698464), MS‐RIL‐303 (Reg. no. GP‐1105, PI 698465), and MS‐RIL‐490 (Reg. no. GP‐1106, PI 698466). Fiber strength and length for the seven lines are as follows: MS‐RIL 009 (384, 30.0), MS‐RIL 037 (369, 31.3), MS‐RIL‐204 (333, 32.5), MS‐RIL‐219 (345, 31.8), MS‐RIL‐282 (295, 31.4), MS‐RIL‐303 (379, 31.4) and MS‐RIL‐490 (318, 33.0), kN m kg–1and mm, respectively. Fibers of MS‐RILS 037, 219, and 303 are significantly stronger and longer, fibers of 009 are significantly stronger, and fibers of 204, 282, and 490 are significantly longer than fibers of ‘Acala Ultima’ or ‘Fibermax 966’, the parental lines with the strongest (326–334 kN m kg–1) and longest (29.3–30.0 mm) fibers. MS‐RIL‐009, MS‐RIL‐037, MS‐RIL‐219, and MS‐RIL‐303 are homozygous for favorable alleles at the A07 strength quantitative trait locus (QTL). All lines except MS‐RIL‐009 are homozygous for favorable alleles at the D11 length QTL. Increased cotton fiber strength and length are needed for high‐speed spinning processes.Random mating followed by development of RIL recombines alleles into useful breeding lines.MS‐RIL‐037, 219, and 303 have significantly stronger and longer fiber than the best parent.MS‐RIL‐204, 282, and 490 have significantly longer fiber than the best parent.MS‐RIL‐009 has significantly stronger fiber than the best parent.

Cotton (Gossypiumspp.) is an important fiber and oil crop grown worldwide. Water and nutrient stresses are major issues affecting cotton production globally. Root traits are critical in improving water and nutrient uptake and maintaining plant productivity under optimal as well as drought conditions. However, root traits have rarely been utilized in cotton breeding programs, a major reason being the lack of information regarding genetic variability for root traits. The objective of this research was to evaluate ten selected cotton genotypes for root traits and water use efficiency. The tested genotypes included germplasm lines (PD 1 and PD 695) and cultivars that are currently grown in the southeastern USA (PHY 499WRF, PHY 444WRF, PHY 430W3FE, DP 1646B2XF, DP 1538B2XF, DP 1851B3XF, NG 5007B2XF, and ST 5020GLT). Experiments were conducted under controlled environmental conditions in 2018 and 2019. A hardpan treatment was included in the second year to evaluate the effect of a soil hardpan on root traits and water use efficiency. Genotype PHY 499WRF ranked at the top and NG 5007B2XF ranked at the bottom for root morphological traits (total and fine root length, surface area, and volume) and root weight. PHY 499WRF was also one of the best biomass producers and had high water use efficiency. PHY 444WRF, PHY 430W3FE, and PD-1 were the other best genotypes in terms of root traits and water use efficiency. All genotypes had higher values for root traits and water use efficiency under hardpan conditions. This trend indicates a horizontal proliferation of root systems when they incur a stress imposed by a hardpan. The genotypic differences identified in this research for root traits and water use efficiency would be valuable for selecting genotypes for cotton breeding programs.

Commercial production of Pima cotton (Gossypium barbadenseL.) in the United States is currently limited to the western United States and West Texas. Before the 1930s, Pima cotton was produced in coastal regions of the southeast United States. However, in an effort to escape yield and economic losses caused by the boll weevil, which invaded the United States in the 1920s, production of long‐season Pima cotton was eliminated and shifted to shorter‐season upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.). Today, the value of Pima cotton fiber is nearly double that of upland cotton. We hypothesized that Pima cotton could be successfully cultivated in the southeast United States because of the eradication of the boll weevil, alongside improvements in genetics and production practices. We evaluated the agronomic performance, fiber quality, and net economic return of 48 Pima genotypes in field trials conducted during 2018 and 2019 in Florence, SC, compared with two popular commercial upland cultivars. We also evaluated the impact of the ginning method (saw vs. roller) on fiber quality. On average, in comparison with upland cotton, the lint yield of Pima genotypes was reduced by half. However, most of the Pima genotypes produced higher‐quality fibers compared with the upland checks. Surprisingly, the ginning method appeared to have little impact on fiber quality. Net return analysis revealed no significant differences among several of the higher‐yielding, higher‐quality Pima genotypes and the upland genotypes in this study, indicating that the reintroduction of a Pima production system in the southeast United States may be feasible. Compared with upland genotypes, Pima genotypes had premium fiber quality but yielded 50% less.The ginning method had little impact on fiber quality parameters.The net return of the highest‐yielding Pima genotypes was not different from the upland checks.

The environmental impact of genetically modified crops has been extensively investigated. However, few reports on the influence of transgenic traits on genetic structure have been reported in the literature. It is unknown how or if transgenic cultivars have affected genotypic variation in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) since its rise to dominance in cotton production. In this study, the genotypic variance components, g, of lint yield (LY) and fiber quality were compared among transgenic and nontransgenic cotton in the USDA Regional High Quality (RHQ) tests from 2002 through 2018. The popular transgenic and nontransgenic cultivars/lines developed by the major private and public cotton breeding programs in the United States during this period were included. Testing cycles within the RHQ protocol consist of standardized control cultivars plus experimental entries. Variance components were dissected in each testing year within six such testing cycles. Lint yield of the transgenic cotton was generally higher than nontransgenic cotton. Fiber quality of the nontransgenic cotton was generally higher than the transgenic cotton. For LY, the proportion of gto the total variance was lower in the transgenic cotton than in the nontransgenic cotton, but the difference diminished in the recent two cycles. The proportion of gwas lower in the transgenic cotton compared with the nontransgenic cotton for fiber length, fiber strength, fiber uniformity, and micronaire. The discrepancy between the two types of cotton in the RHQ tests reflects the influences of differential breeding schemes in the private and public breeding programs on means and genotypic variance of LY and fiber quality. Transgenic cotton affected genotypic variation in cotton cultivars.Differences in breeding schemes in public and private programs influenced genotypic variations.There has been an increase of genotypic variation for yield of transgenic cultivars in recent years.The yield gap between transgenic cotton and nontransgenic cotton has narrowed in recent years.

Future cotton production systems need improved fiber quality to meet global market demands and provide the textile industry with high‐quality fiber. To achieve this, cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) breeding programs must develop cultivars that overcome the negative relationship between agronomic performance and fiber quality. Since 1935, the USDA‐ARS Pee Dee germplasm enhancement program has prioritized improving fiber quality while also maintaining or enhancing agronomic performance. Along with a number of other breeding programs, the Pee Dee program documented that the negative relationship between agronomic performance and fiber quality is most often caused by genetic linkage. Several of these breeding programs have demonstrated that the negative genetic linkage can be overcome. In this study, we test the hypothesis that three Pee Dee germplasm lines previously identified as rare recombinants can generate populations with a decreased negative relationship between agronomic performance and fiber quality. The results suggest that two of the three Pee Dee germplasm lines generate populations with a decreased negative relationship and presumably transmit beneficial allelic combinations for lint percent and fiber quality traits in coupling phase linkage with one another or fixed in offspring.

Competition with manmade fibers has increased focus on upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) fiber quality, especially upper half mean length (FL), for industry stakeholders and breeders. The purpose of this study was to characterize the effect of qFL‐Chr.25, a quantitative trait locus (QTL) introgressed from G. barbadenseL. originally identified in ‘Sealand 883’. The QTL was deployed within four genetic backgrounds: Acala SJ4, Paymaster HS26, Deltapine 50 (DP 50), and Georgia 2004089 (GA089), each representing the gene pools of the major US cotton‐growing regions: the US Southwest, Texas High Plains, Mississippi Delta, and US Southeast, respectively. In highly related bulked sister lines (BSLs), the effect of qFL‐Chr.25was significant in the DP 50 (1.4 mm) and GA089 (1 mm) backgrounds in trials grown in Tifton, GA, in 2014 and 2015. In multilocation trials planted across the Cotton Belt in 2011 of 25 lines from each of the four backgrounds carrying the G. barbadenseallele and 25 without the introgressed allele, FL of the QTL(+) lines were numerically higher than the QTL(−) lines by 0.9 mm, though not statistically significant. Recombinant genotypes recovered from the Paymaster HS26 and GA089 backgrounds, and development of additional simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers within the QTL region, allowed further refinement of the qFL‐Chr.25region's boundaries from ∼2.2 to 0.8 Mb. Although variable effects were seen from this QTL, observation in a more isogenic state such as the BSLs and recombinant lines made the effect of the QTL more apparent. Incorporation of this QTL into breeding programs aided by these newly developed SSR markers should help in the utilization of this introgression to improve cotton fiber quality.

Interspecific introgression lines are important resources for plant breeders to access novel alleles from exotic germplasm. The Pee Dee breeding program developed several extra‐long staple “Sealand” germplasm lines that presumably contain sea island cotton (Gossypium barbadenseL.) chromatin introgressed into upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.). The objectives of this study were to identify the G. barbadensechromatins in the Sealand lines, 542 and 883, and evaluate their effects on fiber quality. A total of 31 putative G. barbadensechromatins were detected, including 12 segments on seven chromosomes that were unique to Sealand 542 and 10 segments on five chromosomes that were unique to Sealand 883, and the remaining nine segments were common to both the Sealand lines. Sealand 542 and 883 mapping populations were created to identified 28 quantitative trait locus (QTL) regions associated with fiber quality traits, including six for elongation, four for fineness, five for short fiber content, five for strength, three for length, and five for fiber uniformity. At least 13 QTLs were detected on the G. barbadenseintrogressed chromosomal segments. Favorable alleles for 17 QTLs were contributed by the Sealand lines, and the genetic effects of five loci were stably expressed across environment and generation. Stable expression of G. barbadensefiber quality alleles in the Sealand lines and the absence of these alleles in upland germplasm make these introgression lines a valuable resource for fiber quality improvement. In particular, marker‐assisted introgression of the qFL‐Chr25locus from Sealand 883 should result in improved fiber length, whereas that of qMIC‐Chr24from Sealand 542 should result in finer fiber.

Previous studies revealed difficulties in retention and recombination of alien species germplasm by conventional introgression in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) due to incompatibility at the whole‐genome level. An alternative approach is to use alien species chromosome substitution (CS) lines, whereby retention and recombination can be differentially increased for a specific chromosome or chromosome segment. Here we report for the first time on the development of a set of CS lines from two alien species in a common genetic background of upland cotton. The overall objective of this research is to report on the chromosomal association of important fiber traits using a partial‐diallel mating design among CS lines of G. tomentosumNutt. Ex Seem (CS‐T), a wild tetraploid species endemic to Hawaii, G. barbadenseL. (CS‐B), a cultivated tetraploid species with improved fiber quality traits, and ‘TM‐1’ (G. hirsutum), the recurrent parent with improved agronomic traits and moderate fiber quality traits. The genetic effects associated with CS lines were dissected into additive, homozygous dominance, and heterozygous dominance genetic effects using an additive–dominance statistical model. Five of six CS‐B lines and two of six CS‐T lines had significant additive genetic effects on lint percentage, indicating that the respective substituted alien chromosome carried alien alleles with potential to improve lint percentage in upland cotton. Fifty‐six percent of 16 different significant additive effects associated with the CS‐B lines could be useful to improve fiber traits in TM‐1. On the contrary, 40% of 15 significant additive genetic effects of the CS‐T lines had potential to improve fiber traits. Results suggested that CS lines can unveil many beneficial alleles harbored cryptically in the other AD‐genome species and render them more accessible for research and cotton genetic improvement.

Chromosome substitution lines (CSLs) have been developed for selected chromosomes from two tetraploid species of Gossypiumand are effective ways to target introgression of alleles from exotic tetraploid species into Upland cotton (G. hirsutumL.) Genetic effects of chromosomes 1, 4, and 18 from Upland cotton (TM‐1), Pima cotton (G. barbadenseL.), and Hawaiian cotton (G. tomentosumNutt. ex Seem) were estimated by topcrossing TM‐1 and six isochromosomal CSLs with five upland cultivars and comparing F2and F3hybrids for agronomic and fiber traits. Data were analyzed according to an additive–dominance (AD) model. Additive genetic effects were greater than dominance effects for lint percentage, fiber uniformity, fiber strength, and elongation; whereas, dominance effects were greater than additive effects for boll weight, lint yield, fiber length, and fiber micronaire. All additive × environment effects were small. Dominance × environment effects were only significant for boll weight, lint yield, and fiber micronaire. Chromosome B04 and B18 from Pima cotton and T01 from Hawaiian cotton had significantly greater additive effects for lint percentage than homologs. Chromosomes 1, 4, and 18 from the three species generally showed negative additive effect on lint yield compared with cultivars. Chromosome 1 from Hawaiian cotton had greater additive effects on fiber length than homologs. Chromosomes 1 and 4 from Pima cotton showed greater additive effects on fiber strength than homologs. The magnitude of additive effects on important agronomic and fiber traits show that Pima cotton and Hawaiian cotton harbor useful alleles for Upland cotton breeding programs.

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) production has traditionally been guided by fiber yield and quality, but recent interest has focused on using cottonseed as a food; therefore, cottonseed oil content is an important trait to understand. A line‐by‐tester analysis was used to determine combining abilities by crossing four lines (PD 7723, PD 94042, PD 3246, and PD 5377) and four testers (TX 21, TX 101, TX 182, and TX 244) with varying seed oil content selected from accessions in the US National Cotton Germplasm Collection. Seed oil content was found to be a heritable trait (H2= 0.52). The analysis showed that a large part of the phenotypic variation in oil content was associated with general combining ability, although significant specific combining ability occurred in several crosses. Overall, TX 182 and TX 101 had higher combining abilities, while PD 94042 had the lowest combining ability for oil content. Among hybrids, PD 3246 × TX 101, PD 7723 × TX 101, and PD 5377 × TX 182 had the highest combining abilities. All traits tested in these environments showed highly significant genotype × environment effects. The highest mean oil was observed in Florence, SC, during 2010 (TX 182, 28.28%). This study suggests that there is sufficient additive variance available for plant breeders to improve seed oil content. In addition, correlation analyses indicated that oil content can be increased at the same time as seed index, boll weight, and fiber traits including elongation, uniformity, upper half mean length (UHML), and strength.

Dwarf GP (Reg. No. GP‐967; PI 669119), Fiber GP (Reg. No. GP‐968; PI 669120), Glandless GP (Reg. No. GP‐969; PI 669121), and Race GP (Reg. No. GP‐970; PI 669122) are four unique upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) germplasm populations (GP) released by the USDA–ARS. Dwarf GP is a four‐parent, narrow‐based population developed to incorporate dwarfing genes into nondwarf genetic backgrounds. The remaining three populations are broad‐based, complex populations. Fiber GP (24 parents) was developed to include potential sources of variation that would improve fiber length and strength. At the time these populations were developed, a viable glandless seed industry existed, and Glandless GP (22 parents) incorporated glandless germplasm from public and private breeders. Race GP (42 parents) was developed to obtain new genetic recombination events among a set of primitive race stock parents. These populations were created to recombine the variability from multiple parents into a single source from which selection can be initiated. Glandless GP was formed by random mating for nine cycles using a bulked pollen methodology. Dwarf GP, Fiber GP, and Race GP were formed by random mating for one cycle using a bulked pollen methodology followed by eight cycles using a male sterile. These populations possess trait specific and non‐trait specific genetic diversity resulting from multiple generations of recombination and, therefore, present breeders with useful tools for improvement of elite germplasm.

During the past 9 yr, a new race of Fusarium(Fusarium oxysporumf. sp. vasinfectum[FOV Race 4]) has increasingly impacted cotton (Gossypiumspp.) in the San Joaquin Valley of California. To assess the vulnerability of upland cotton (G. hirsutumL.) in California to FOV disease, elite upland germplasm lines from 13 U.S. public breeding programs across the Cotton Belt and commercial cultivars were evaluated for disease resistance to FOV Races 1 and 4. Ten independent replicated field trials were conducted: three in 2008, four in 2010, and three in 2011. Significant differences (P≤0.05) were observed for disease severity index of leaves, vascular root staining, and plant survival values among the elite germplasm lines in all 3 yr for the levels of resistance–response to FOV Races 1 and 4. Also, significant interactions among germplasm lines, FOV races (1 and 4), and evaluation sites indicated that germplasm lines differed in mechanisms of plant‐defense response for the two FOV races. Selected lines from programs in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi showed at least a moderate level of tolerance to both FOV races; however, several of these lines produced weak and coarse fibers. Based on these evaluations, many of the entries in public breeders’ current elite upland germplasm pools may be more susceptible than expected to some FOV races, and sources of acceptable levels of resistance may be limited when tested under infestation levels that resulted in only 5 to 35% plant survival in susceptible check cultivars.

A major fiber strength quantitative trait locus (QTL) has been identified on chromosome 24 in the Chinese germplasm line ‘Suyuan 7235’; however, the effects of this QTL have not been tested in different genetic backgrounds. In this study, we confirmed the effects of this QTL by crossing Suyuan 7235 with two U.S. germplasm lines with different fiber strength. This QTL was consistently expressed over generations and years in both populations. The Suyuan 7235 allele explained up to 40% of the total phenotypic variation and accounted for an increase of up to 22.8 kN m kg−1. The effects on fiber strength appear to be greater in Suyuan 7235 × ‘Sealand 883’ (Pop‐883) than in Suyuan 7235 × ‘Sealand 542’ (Pop‐542) despite the Sealand 883 parent having stronger fiber than the Sealand 542 parent. Deoxyribonucleic acid fingerprinting on a collection of elite cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) lines indicated that this QTL is not present in a survey of elite U.S. public germplasm. These results indicate that this fiber strength QTL could significantly improve the economic value of Upland cottons in the United States. The identification of 27 novel markers tightly linked in this region adds additional tools to allow this QTL to be more efficiently deployed in breeding cultivars with improved fiber strength.

Variation for wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) grain yield and agronomic traits was used to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) in a ‘Cheyenne’ (CNN) × [CNN (‘Wichita’ 3A)] recombinant inbred chromosome line (RICL) population consisting of 223 CNN(RICLs3A) and 7 check cultivars that were evaluated in six environments in Nebraska during 2005–2007. A chromosome 3A linkage map spanning 106 cM was constructed using 32 microsatellite markers. Composite interval mapping detected 19 QTL for seven agronomic traits that individually accounted for 4.6 to 16.8% of the phenotypic variation. Three small genomic segments, spanning 3.4, 5.3, and 5.3 cM, contained most of the QTL. Two yield QTL were detected in two environments and in data pooled over environments. For grain volume weight, a QTL was detected in five of the six environments while a plant height QTL was detected in all environments. Wichita (WI) alleles contributed to the increased trait values for yield, spikes per square meter, and grain volume weight, while CNN contributed alleles to the increased 1000‐kernel weight, plant height, and anthesis date. Both CNN and WI contained alleles for increased number of kernels per spike. The 223 CNN(RICLs3A) set had greater power to detect QTL than the two smaller subsets—128 CNN(RICLs3A) developed using doubled haploids and 95 CNN(RICLs3A) developed using recombinant monosomic lines. Neither of the subsets performed consistently better than the other in detecting QTL.