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A CC-NBS-LRR gene underlies the Le4 locus for interspecific hybrid lethality between Gossypium barbadense and G. hirsutum, and appears to act by triggering autoimmune responses., Hybrid lethality forms a reproductive barrier that has been found in many eukaryotes. Most cases follow the Bateson–Dobzhansky–Muller genetic incompatibility model and involve two or more loci. In this study, we demonstrate that a coiled-coil nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat (CC-NBS-LRR) gene is the causal gene underlying the Le4 locus for interspecific hybrid lethality between Gossypium barbadense and G. hirsutum (cotton). Silencing this CC-NBS-LRR gene can restore F1 plants from a lethal to a normal phenotype. A total of 11 099 genes were differentially expressed between the leaves of normal and lethal F1 plants, of which genes related to autoimmune responses were highly enriched. Genes related to ATP-binding and ATPase were up-regulated before the lethal syndrome appeared; this may result in the conversion of Le4 into an active state and hence trigger immune signals in the absence of biotic/abiotic stress. We discuss our results in relation to the evolution and domestication of Sea Island cottons and the molecular mechanisms of hybrid lethality associated with autoimmune responses. Our findings provide new insights into reproductive isolation and may benefit cotton breeding.

The genetic basis of heterosis has not been resolved for approximately a century, although the role of loci with overdominant (ODO) effects has continued to be discussed by biologists. In the present investigation, a proposed model was studied in Gossypium hirsutum L. introgression lines (ILs) harbouring a segment of G. barbadense. These introgressions were confirmed by a single marker of G. barbadense. These ILs contained 396 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for 11 yield and non-yield traits that were recorded in the field on homozygous and heterozygous plants for 5 years. After comparing the different types of QTLs between the yield group and the non-yield group, it was found that the yield group had significantly higher ODO QTL ratios. Moreover, 16 ODO QTLs identified for 5 yield-related traits were consistently detected during 5 cotton growing seasons (2010-2011 and 2013-2015): 6 of 7 for boll weight, 3 of 11 for seed-cotton yield per plant, 4 of 17 for boll number, 2 of 13 for lint yield per plant and 1 of 11 for lint percentage. Therefore, we propose that overdominance is the major genetic basis of lint yield heterosis in interspecific hybrids between G. barbadense and G. hirsutum. These findings have important implications in cotton breeding in that the boll weight can be improved by utilizing ODO QTLs via heterosis; thus, the stagnant yield barrier can be smashed to achieve sustainable increases in cotton production. Additionally, this concept can be translated to other field crops for improving their yield potential.

The floral nectary, first recognized and described by Carl Linnaeus, is a remarkable organ that serves to provide carbohydrate-rich nectar to visiting pollinators in return for gamete transfer between flowers. Therefore, the nectary has indispensable biological significance in plant reproduction and even in evolution. Only two genes, CRC and STY, have been reported to regulate floral nectary development. However, it is still unknown what genes contribute to extrafloral nectary development. Here, we report that a nectary development gene in Gossypium (GoNe), annotated as an APETALA 2/ethylene-responsive factor (AP2/ERF), is responsible for the formation of both floral and extrafloral nectaries. GoNe plants that are silenced via virus-induced gene silencing technology and/or knocked out by Cas9 produce a nectariless phenotype. Point mutation and gene truncation simultaneously in duplicated genes Ne1 Ne2 lead to impaired nectary development in tetraploid cotton. There is no difference in the expression of the CRC and STY genes between the nectary TM-1 and the nectariless MD90ne in cotton. Therefore, the GoNe gene responsible for the formation of floral and extrafloral nectaries may be independent of CRC and STY. A complex mechanism might exist that restricts the nectary to a specific position with different genetic factors. Characterization of these target genes regulating nectary production has provided insights into the development, evolution, and function of nectaries and insect-resistant breeding.

Summary Interspecific genomic variation can provide a genetic basis for local adaptation and domestication. A series of studies have presented its role of interspecific haplotypes and introgressions in adaptive traits, but few studies have addressed their role in improving agronomic character. Two allotetraploid Gossypium species, Gossypium barbadense (Gb) and G. hirsutum (Gh) originating from the Americas, are cultivated independently. Here, through sequencing and the comparison of one GWAS panel in 229 Gb accessions and two GWAS panels in 491 Gh accessions, we found that most associated loci or functional haplotypes for agronomic traits were highly divergent, representing the strong divergent improvement between Gb and Gh. Using a comprehensive interspecific haplotype map, we revealed that six interspecific introgressions from Gh to Gb were significantly associated with the phenotypic performance of Gb, which could explain 5%–40% of phenotypic variation in yield and fibre qualities. In addition, three introgressions overlapped with six associated loci in Gb, indicating that these introgression regions were under further selection and stabilized during improvement. A single interspecific introgression often possessed yield‐increasing potential but decreased fibre qualities, or the opposite, making it difficult to simultaneously improve yield and fibre qualities. Our study not only has proved the importance of interspecific functional haplotypes or introgressions in the divergent improvement of Gb and Gh, but also supports their potential value in further human‐mediated hybridization or precision breeding.

Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is the most important natural fiber crop in the world. The overall genetic diversity among cultivated species of cotton and the genetic changes that occurred during their improvement are poorly understood. Here we report a comprehensive genomic assessment of modern improved upland cotton based on the genome-wide resequencing of 318 landraces and modern improved cultivars or lines. We detected more associated loci for lint yield than for fiber quality, which suggests that lint yield has stronger selection signatures than other traits. We found that two ethylene-pathway-related genes were associated with increased lint yield in improved cultivars. We evaluated the population frequency of each elite allele in historically released cultivar groups and found that 54.8% of the elite genome-wide association study (GWAS) alleles detected were transferred from three founder landraces: Deltapine 15, Stoneville 2B and Uganda Mian. Our results provide a genomic basis for improving cotton cultivars and for further evolutionary analysis of polyploid crops.

Allotetraploid cotton is an economically important natural-fiber-producing crop worldwide. After polyploidization, Gossypium hirsutum L. evolved to produce a higher fiber yield and to better survive harsh environments than Gossypium barbadense, which produces superior-quality fibers. The global genetic and molecular bases for these interspecies divergences were unknown. Here we report high-quality de novo-assembled genomes for these two cultivated allotetraploid species with pronounced improvement in repetitive-DNA-enriched centromeric regions. Whole-genome comparative analyses revealed that species-specific alterations in gene expression, structural variations and expanded gene families were responsible for speciation and the evolutionary history of these species. These findings help to elucidate the evolution of cotton genomes and their domestication history. The information generated not only should enable breeders to improve fiber quality and resilience to ever-changing environmental conditions but also can be translated to other crops for better understanding of their domestication history and use in improvement.

Overuse of a small number of Upland cotton cultivars has narrowed cotton's genetic base, leading to major difficulties in developing cotton cultivars with diverse genetic backgrounds that are able to adapt to adverse conditions. To effectively broaden the genetic base, chromosome introgression lines (ILs) were developed, where TM-1, the genetic standard of Upland cotton, was used as the common recipient and its two feral landraces, TX-256 and TX-1046, were used as the donors. A total of 115 ILs, with an average segment length of 11.15 cM, were first developed via intraspecific hybridization by marker-assisted selection (MAS) in BC3F2 generations, spanning 3887.75 cM of the cotton genome. Association analysis showed that 63 markers were found to be associated with boll weight (BW), lint percentage (LP) and seed index. The percent of phenotypic variance explained by 148 QTLs detected was 4.12% on average. Eleven and five new QTLs for BW and LP (one stable QTL identified for LP in all environments) were detected, respectively, which can be used for efficiently pyramiding favourable alleles into one cultivar by MAS.

Linkage disequilibrium-based association mapping is a powerful tool for dissecting the genetic basis underlying complex traits. In this study, an association mapping panel consisting of 180 elite Upland cotton cultivars was constructed, evaluated in three locations across 2 years and genotyped using 228 SSRs to detect molecular markers associated with seed oil and protein contents. A total of 86 significant (a = 0.01) marker-trait associations were detected between 58 SSR markers and two seed quality traits in six environments. Fifteen SSR markers distributed on ten chromosomes (A3, A7, A9, A10, A12, A13, D2, D5, D6 and D9) and 12 across 9 chromosomes (A3, A7, A9, A10, A12, D2, D3, D5 and D9) associated with seed oil and protein contents, respectively, could be detected in more than one environment. Among the 18 SSR markers significantly associated with seed oil and/or protein contents, nine loci were associated with both seed traits simultaneously. The results of this study provide useful information for further understanding the genetic basis of cottonseed oil and protein traits, and they should facilitate future efforts to breed cotton containing seeds with high oil or high protein contents using MAS.

Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping lays the foundation for marker-assisted selection (MAS) for lint yield and fiber quality in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). Boll-related traits affect yield and fiber quality, but few studies have focused on boll-related traits. Here, we detected QTLs related to cotton boll, yield and fiber quality traits using intraspecific F2 and F2:3 populations from the cross AQ × 08-10604. A total of 91 QTLs for 17 traits related to boll, yield and fiber quality in the F2 and F2:3 populations were mapped, including 37 significant QTLs. Six pairs of common QTLs were detected, including two pairs for boll coat weight (BCW) in the same or similar positions on Chr. A10 and D1, two pairs for boll length (BL) in similar positions on Chr. A10 and A13, with a higher percentage of phenotype variation and two pairs for boll diameter (BD) in similar positions on Chr. A10 and D1. These results suggest that the traits BCW, BL and BD have high levels of stability. Five QTL clusters for the same or different traits were also identified on Chr. A10 (2), A13, D1 and D5. We also detected 64 epistatic QTLs for boll- and yield-related traits that play important roles in genetic variation. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations between seed yield and boll number per plant and between boll weight and BCW, BL and BD. The results of this study enhance our understanding of the genetic basis of boll-related traits and will enable further MAS of upland cotton.

This study demonstrates the first practical use of CSILs for the transfer of fiber quality QTLs into Upland cotton cultivars using SSR markers without detrimentally affecting desirable agronomic characteristics. Gossypium hirsutum is characterized by its high lint production and medium fiber quality compared to extra-long staple cotton G. barbadense. Transferring valuable traits or genes from G. barbadense into G. hirsutum is a promising but challenging approach through a traditional interspecific introgression strategy. We developed one set of chromosome segment introgression lines (CSILs), where TM-1, the genetic standard in G. hirsutum, was used as the recipient parent and the long staple cotton G. barbadense cv. Hai7124 was used as the donor parent by molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS). Among them, four CSILs, IL040-A4-1, IL080-D6-1, IL088-A7-3 and IL019-A2-6, found to be associated with superior fiber qualities including fiber length, strength and fineness QTL in Xinjiang were selected and backcrossed, and transferred these QTLs into three commercial Upland cotton cultivars such as Xinluzao (XLZ) 26, 41 and 42 grown in Xinjiang. By backcrossing and self-pollinating twice, five improved lines (3262-4, 3389-2, 3326-3, 3380-4 and 3426-5) were developed by MAS of background and introgressed segments. In diverse field trials, these QTLs consistently and significantly offered additive effects on the target phenotype. Furthermore, we also pyramided two segments from different CSILs (IL080-D6-1 and IL019-A2-6) into cultivar 0768 to accelerate breeding process purposefully with MAS. The improved lines pyramided by these two introgressed segments showed significant additive epistatic effects in four separate field trials. No significant alteration in yield components was observed in these modified lines. In summary, we first report that these CSILs have great potential to improve fiber qualities in Upland cotton MAS breeding programs.

Gossypium hirsutum L. is a widely cultivated species characterized by its high yield and wide environmental adaptability, while Gossypium barbadense is well known for its superior fiber quality. In the present report, we, for the first time, developed G. hirsutum chromosome segment introgression lines (ILs) in a G. barbadense background (GhILs_Gb) and genetically dissected the inheritance of lint yield and fiber quality of G. hirsutum in G. barbadense background. The GhILs_Gb contains introgressed segments spanning 4121.20 cM, which represents 82.20% of the tetraploid cotton genome, with an average length of 18.65 cM. A total of 39 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for six traits are identified in this IL population planted in Xinjiang. Four QTL clusters are detected. Of them, however, three clusters have deleterious effects on fiber length and strength and boll weight, and only one cluster on Chr. D9 can be used in marker-assisted selection (MAS) to increase lint percentage and decrease micronaire value in G. barbadense. QTL mapping showed that most of yield-related QTLs detected have positive effects and increase lint yield in G. barbadense, while most of fiber quality-related QTLs have deleterious effects except for micronaire. It suggested that G. hirsutum evolved to have a high lint yield. Several lines improved in lint percentage and boll size in G. barbadense by introgressed one fragment of G. hirsutum have been developed from the GhILs_Gb. The ILs developed, and the analyses presented here will enhance the understanding of the genetics of lint yield and fiber quality in G. hirsutum and facilitate further molecular breeding to improve lint yield in G. barbadense.

Fiber quality improvement is a driving force for further cotton domestication and breeding. Here, QTLs for fiber quality were mapped in 115 introgression lines (ILs) first developed from two intraspecific populations of cultivated and feral cotton landraces. A total of 60 QTLs were found, which explained 2.03–16.85% of the phenotypic variance found in fiber quality traits. A total of 36 markers were associated with five fiber traits, 33 of which were found to be associated with QTLs in multiple environments. In addition, nine pairs of common QTLs were identified; namely, one pair of QTLs for fiber elongation, three pairs for fiber length, three pairs for fiber strength and two pairs for micronaire (qMICs). All common QTLs had additive effects in the same direction in both IL populations. We also found five QTL clusters, allowing cotton breeders to focus their efforts on regions of QTLs with the highest percentages of phenotypic variance. Our results also reveal footprints of domestication; for example, fourteen QTLs with positive effects were found to have remained in modern cultivars during domestication, and two negative qMICs that had never been reported before were found, suggesting that the qMICs regions may be eliminated during artificial selection.

Asiatic cotton (Gossypium arboreum L.) is an Old World cultivated cotton species. The sinense race was planted extensively in China. Due to the advances in spinning technology during the last century, the species was replaced by the New World allotetraploid cotton G. hirsutum L. Gossypium arboreum is still grown in India and Pakistan and also used as an elite in current cotton breeding programs. In addition, G. arboreum serves as a model for genomic research in Gossypium. In the present study, we generated an A-genome diploid cotton intraspecific genetic map including 264 SSR loci with three morphological markers mapped to 13 linkage groups. The map spans 2,508.71 cM with an average distance of 9.4 cM between adjacent loci. A population containing 176 F(2:3) families was used to perform quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping for 17 phenotypes using Multiple QTL Model (MQM) of MapQTL ver 5.0. Overall, 108 QTLs were detected on 13 chromosomes. Thirty-one QTLs for yield and its components were detected in the F2 population. Forty-one QTLs for yield and its components were detected in the F(2:3) families with a total of 43 QTLs for fiber qualities. Two QTLs for seed cotton weight/plant and lint index and three QTLs for seed index were consistently detected both in F2 and F(2:3). Most QTLs for fiber qualities and yields were located at the same interval or neighboring intervals. These results indicated that the negative correlation between fiber qualities and yield traits may result from either pleiotropic effect of one gene or linkage effects of multiple closely linked genes.

The purpose of the research presented here was to explore the genetic basis of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) fiber quality traits through quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis and epistasis effects dissection, and further discuss the mechanism of heterosis. An immortalized F 2 population was developed by intercrossing Xiangzamian 2-derived recombinant inbred lines (RILs) (XZM2). Fiber quality traits were investigated in F 1 and F 2 generations of hybrid XZM2, its two parents, and the immortalized F 2 population in multiple environments in China. The low level of heterosis in XZM2 and in the immortalized F 2 population suggested a lack of dominant and dominant x dominant interaction. In general, the low correlations of genotypic heterozygosity with trait performance and mid-parent heterosis showed that heterozygosity was not always advantageous for performance, and they excluded overdominance as a major genetic basis of heterosis. A total of 50 QTLs for fiber quality were identified by single-locus QTL analysis. Although partial dominance and overdominance were detected, additive genetic variance was predominant. Common QTLs were detected both in the homozygous RILs and in the heterozygous immortalized F 2 populations. Additionally, single-locus heterotic effects and epistasis effects at the two-locus level were detected. Our results indicated that additive gene action was the primary mechanism responsible for genetic variability in fiber quality traits. Additionally, we found that single-locus heterotic effects and epistasis effects contributed to heterosis of fiber quality traits in XZM2.

By backcrossing and self-pollinating twice, a series of improved lines (BC2F3) of cotton derived from super-quality fiber property chromosome segment introgression lines were developed by molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS). One of these improved lines, 3326-7, in the background of Xinluzao (XLZ) 41, was transferred from an introgression line (IL088-A7-3) derived from a cross between Gossypium hirsutum acc. TM-1 and G. barbadense cv. Hai7124. This line has consistently demonstrated super-quality fiber properties including fiber length, strength, and fineness. To fine-map the clustered fiber quality quantitative trait loci (QTLs), we further crossed the homozygous line 3326-7 with its recurrent parent XLZ41 to produce BC3F2, BC3F3, and BC3F4 populations. A linkage group was constructed using 1248 BC3F2 plants, and QTL analysis using the fiber qualities of 229 recombinants confirmed the existence of qFL-chr.7 for fiber length, qFS-chr.7 for fiber strength, and qFM-chr.7 for micronaire value within the introgressed region, with R 2 values of 18.6, 29.4, and 26.3 %, respectively. The presence of qFL-chr.7, qFS-chr.7, and qFM-chr.7 led to an increase in fiber length and strength of approximately 2.0 mm and 3.0 cN/tex, respectively, and a decrease in micronaire of 0.8. Using substitution mapping with 229 BC3F2 recombinants and 207 BC3F3 and BC3F4 lines with informative recombination breakpoints in the target region, we anchored qFL-chr.7 for fiber length and qFS-chr.7 for strength to the same position, with a 0.36-cM interval between the two simple sequence repeat markers, NAU3735 and NAU845. Another QTL, qFM-chr.7, was mapped to the 0.44-cM interval between MGHES75 and NAU7445. These tightly linked QTLs may explain their positive relationship and have the potential to improve cotton fiber qualities through MAS.

Of the two cultivated species of allopolyploid cotton, Gossypium barbadense produces extra-long fibers for the production of superior textiles. We sequenced its genome (AD)2 and performed a comparative analysis. We identified three bursts of retrotransposons from 20 million years ago (Mya) and a genome-wide uneven pseudogenization peak at 11–20 Mya, which likely contributed to genomic divergences. Among the 2,483 genes preferentially expressed in fiber, a cell elongation regulator, PRE1, is strikingly At biased and fiber specific, echoing the A-genome origin of spinnable fiber. The expansion of the PRE members implies a genetic factor that underlies fiber elongation. Mature cotton fiber consists of nearly pure cellulose. G. barbadense and G. hirsutum contain 29 and 30 cellulose synthase (CesA) genes, respectively; whereas most of these genes (>25) are expressed in fiber, genes for secondary cell wall biosynthesis exhibited a delayed and higher degree of up-regulation in G. barbadense compared with G. hirsutum, conferring an extended elongation stage and highly active secondary wall deposition during extra-long fiber development. The rapid diversification of sesquiterpene synthase genes in the gossypol pathway exemplifies the chemical diversity of lineage-specific secondary metabolites. The G. barbadense genome advances our understanding of allopolyploidy, which will help improve cotton fiber quality.

Background SNPs are the most abundant polymorphism type, and have been explored in many crop genomic studies, including rice and maize. SNP discovery in allotetraploid cotton genomes has lagged behind that of other crops due to their complexity and polyploidy. In this study, genome-wide SNPs are detected systematically using next-generation sequencing and efficient SNP genotyping methods, and used to construct a linkage map and characterize the structural variations in polyploid cotton genomes. Results We construct an ultra-dense inter-specific genetic map comprising 4,999,048 SNP loci distributed unevenly in 26 allotetraploid cotton linkage groups and covering 4,042 cM. The map is used to order tetraploid cotton genome scaffolds for accurate assembly of G. hirsutum acc. TM-1. Recombination rates and hotspots are identified across the cotton genome by comparing the assembled draft sequence and the genetic map. Using this map, genome rearrangements and centromeric regions are identified in tetraploid cotton by combining information from the publicly-available G. raimondii genome with fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis. Conclusions We report the genotype-by-sequencing method used to identify millions of SNPs between G. hirsutum and G. barbadense. We construct and use an ultra-dense SNP map to correct sequence mis-assemblies, merge scaffolds into pseudomolecules corresponding to chromosomes, detect genome rearrangements, and identify centromeric regions in allotetraploid cottons. We find that the centromeric retro-element sequence of tetraploid cotton derived from the D subgenome progenitor might have invaded the A subgenome centromeres after allotetrapolyploid formation. This study serves as a valuable genomic resource for genetic research and breeding of cotton. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13059-015-0678-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The improvement of cotton fiber quality has become more important because of changes in spinning technology. Stable quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for fiber quality will enable molecular marker-assisted selection to improve fiber quality of future cotton cultivars. A simple sequence repeat (SSR) genetic linkage map consisting of 156 loci covering 1,024.4 cM was constructed using a series of recombinant inbred lines (RIL) developed from an F2 population of an Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cross 7235 × TM-1. Phenotypic data were collected at Nanjing and Guanyun County in 2002 and 2003 for 5 fiber quality and 6 yield traits. We found 25 major QTLs (LOD ≥ 3.0) and 28 putative QTLs (2.0

Xiangzamian 2 (XZM2) was the most widely cultivated cotton hybrid planted as F1 hybrids and as selfed F2 seeds in China before the release of transgenic Bt hybrids. By crossing two parents of XZM2, Gossypium hirsutum cv. Zhongmiansuo12 (ZMS12) and G. hirsutum acc. 8891, and through subsequent selfings, we obtained F8 and F9 populations of 180 recombinant inbred lines (RILs). A RIL population was cultivated in two cotton-growing regions in China for 2 years. The purpose of the present research was to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) for fiber quality and provide information applicable to cotton breeding. A genetic map was constructed mainly using SSR markers. QTL controlling fiber quality traits were determined at the single-locus and two-locus levels, and genotype-by-environment interactions were analyzed. Among the main-effect QTL, a fiber length QTL qFL-D2-1 and a reflectance QTL qFR-D2-1 were simultaneously detected at two growing regions in 2 years, which suggested a high degree of stability in different environments, and might be of particular value for a marker-assisted selection (MAS) program. The results suggested that epistatic effects, as well as additive effects, of QTL play important roles in fiber quality in these RILs. In our research, the phenomenon of QTL clusters was detected in the cotton genome.

Most agronomic traits of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) are quantitatively inherited and affected by environment The importance of epistasis as the genetic basis for complex traits has been reported in many crops. In this study, a linkage map was constructed by means of a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from 7235×TM-1. Main effects, epistatic effects, and environmental interaction effects of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling fiber and yield component traits were determined by mixed linear model based QTL mapping in two to four environments. Sixteen main effect QTLs for 12 traits and 19 digenic interaction QTLs for 12 traits were detected. The amount of variation explained by the QTLs of main effect was larger than the QTLs involved in epistatic interactions. Among seven QTLs having QTL × Environment (QE) interaction effects, five produced significant additive effects and two did not, but only one interaction showed significant additive × additive × environment (AAE) interaction effects. Some QTLs with large effects detected in specific environments could be assodated with environmental response elements.

The improvement of cotton fiber quality is extremely important because of changes in spinning technology. The identification of the stable QTLs affecting fiber traits across different generations will be greatly helpful to be used effectively in molecular marker-assisted selection to improve fiber quality of cotton cultivars in the future. Using three elite fiber lines of Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) as parents, three linkage maps were constructed to tag QTLs for fiber qualities using SSR markers. There were 39 QTLs, 17 significant QTLs, LOD ≥ 3.0 and 22 suggestive QTLs, 3.0 > LOD ≥ 2.0, detected by composite interval mapping for fiber traits, in which 11 QTLs were for fiber length, 10 for fiber strength, 9 for micronaire and 9 for fiber elongation. Out of 17 significant QTLs, 5 QTLs with high logarithm of odds (LOD) score value and stable effect could be found in both F2 and F2:3 segregating populations, showing a great potential for molecular-assisted selection in improving fiber quality. At least three common QTLs could be identified in two populations. These common QTLs detected in different populations suggested that there existed elite fiber genes and possibly of the same origin. In addition, we found three pairs of putative homoeologous QTLs, qFL-7-1c and qFL-16-1c, qFS-D03-1a, qFS-A02-1b and qFS-A02-1c, and qFE–D03-1a and qFE-A02-1c. Our results provided a better understanding of the genetic factors of fiber traits in AD tetraploid cottons.

Genetics of CMS fertility restoration was presented through the analysis of classic genetics and molecular markers. Based on F(2) segregation of the crosses between CMS and the restoring lines, the testcrosses and F(1) x F(1) populations, together with RAPD and SSR mapping, one dominant gene was identified to control the CMS fertility restoration in cotton. The strategy of genotype representation analysis (GRA) was put forward to screen the markers linked with the Rf(1) locus. Using 1,025 random decamer primers and 282 pairs of SSR primers, two RAPD and three SSR markers were identified to be closely linked to the Rf(1) gene. Among the five markers, three were co-dominantly inherited. Additionally, based on the analysis of monosomic and telesomic lines with one SSR maker, the Rf(1) locus could be located on the long arm of chromosome 4. The molecular markers available here are helpful in the development of the elite restoring lines in cotton by marker-assisted selection.

In the present study, different Bt cotton lines, Shanxi94-24, Zhongxin94 and R19, showed good efficacy against populations of Helicoverpa armigera, in both laboratory and field assays. Laboratory bioassays, however, indicated that there was a declining level of efficacy with plant age, as the mortality (%) of it Helicoverpa decreased gradually when fed leaves sequentially from the first to the last developing node from the main stem. The mortality of neonate insects fed leaves from the three transgenic lines was as high as 100% before flowering, but only 50%–70% or so by peak flowering and boll set. The temporal difference in resistance of these transgenic Bt cotton lines was also demonstrated in a second set of bioassays of transgenie leaves simultaneously collected from the transgenic plants planted at different times from March 1 to September 11, 1999 at intervals of twenty days. No difference in efficacy was observed over 3 or 4 successive generations of three transgenic lines, i.e., resistance was stable in different generations. This confirms the stable transmission and expression of the Bt gene after being integrated into the genome of the cotton plant. The relationship between the temporal difference in efficacy of transgenic cotton lines and the possible risk of resistance development in bollworm larvae to Bt cotton are also discussed.

© 2015 Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved. Upland cotton is a model for polyploid crop domestication and transgenic improvement. Here we sequenced the allotetraploid Gossypium hirsutum L. acc. TM-1 genome by integrating whole-genome shotgun reads, bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)-end sequences and genotype-by-sequencing genetic maps. We assembled and annotated 32,032 A-subgenome genes and 34,402 D-subgenome genes. Structural rearrangements, gene loss, disrupted genes and sequence divergence were more common in the A subgenome than in the D subgenome, suggesting asymmetric evolution. However, no genome-wide expression dominance was found between the subgenomes. Genomic signatures of selection and domestication are associated with positively selected genes (PSGs) for fiber improvement in the A subgenome and for stress tolerance in the D subgenome. This draft genome sequence provides a resource for engineering superior cotton lines.

In the development of transgenicBt + CpTI cotton cultivars, one male and female sterile mutant has been found in a homozygous T4 strain in our laboratory. The mutant plant, as well as its leaves, buds and flowers, is only 1/2–1/3 as large as that of the wild transgenicBt + CpTI bivalant cotton plants. Cytological observation found that the chromosome number of the mutant is 2n = 52; however, there are 4–8 univalents observed in meiosis I of pollen mother cells. Laboratory bioassay indicated that the mutant was highly resistant to bollworm as the wild plants. PCR amplification revealed thatBt andCpTI genes in the mutant were still intactly inserted. However, small deletion of flanked area had been observed in the mutant by Southern blotting analysis. So it is proposed that the mutant phenotype might result from either the DNA deletion or T-DNA transferring in plant genome. No such report has been presented that the rearrangement of chromosome structure in a homozygous transgenic line occurred. Further analysis is ongoing.

Gossypium hirsutum is a high yield cotton species that exhibits only moderate performance in fiber qualities. A promising but challenging approach to improving its phenotypes is interspecific introgression, the transfer of valuable traits or genes from the germplasm of another species such as G. barbadense, an important cultivated extra long staple cotton species. One set of chromosome segment introgression lines (CSILs) was developed, where TM-1, the genetic standard in G. hirsutum, was used as the recipient parent and the long staple cotton G. barbadense Hai7124 was used as the donor parent by molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS) in BC(5)S(1–4) and BC(4)S(1–3) generations. After four rounds of MAS, the CSIL population was comprised of 174 lines containing 298 introgressed segments, of which 86 (49.4%) lines had single introgressed segments. The total introgressed segment length covered 2,948.7 cM with an average length of 16.7 cM and represented 83.3% of tetraploid cotton genome. The CSILs were highly varied in major fiber qualities. By integrated analysis of data collected in four environments, a total of 43 additive quantitative trait loci (QTL) and six epistatic QTL associated with fiber qualities were detected by QTL IciMapping 3.0 and multi-QTL joint analysis. Six stable QTL were detected in various environments. The CSILs developed and the analyses presented here will enhance the understanding of the genetics of fiber qualities in long staple G. barbadense and facilitate further molecular breeding to improve fiber quality in Upland cotton.

Xiangzamian 2 (XZM2) is the most widely cultivated cotton hybrid in China. By crossing two parents Zhongmiansuo 12 and 8891 and upon subsequent selfings, we got F8 and F9 populations having 180 recombinant inbred lines. Ten plant architecture traits were investigated in two years with this population. A genetic map was constructed mainly with SSR markers. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) conditioning plant architecture traits were determined at the single-locus and double-locus levels. The results showed that epistastic effects as well as additive effects of QTL played an important role as the genetic basis of cotton plant architecture. The QTL detected in our research might provide new information on improving plant architecture traits. The polymorphism of molecular markers between ZMS12 and 8891 were quite limited, while significant differences between their phenotypes were found and the hybrid XZM2 expressed high heterosis in yield. All these could be partly explained by the effect of epistatic QTL.

A population of 180 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was developed by single seed descended from the cross of high yield Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) varieties Zhongmiansuo12 (ZMS12) and 8891, the two parents of Xiangzamian2 (XZM2). A genetic linkage map consisting of 132 loci and covering 865.20 cM was constructed using the RIL population chiefly with SSR markers. Yield and yield components were investigated for RILs in three environments in China. The purpose of the present research was to analyze the relationship between yield and its components and to map QTL for yield and yield components in cotton. QTL were tagged with data sets from single environment (separate analysis) and a set of data from means of the three environments (joint analysis). A total of 34 QTL for yield and yield components were independently detected in three environments, whereas fifteen QTL were found in joint analysis. Notably, a stable lint percentage QTL qLP-A10-1 was detected both in joint analysis and in two environments of separate analysis, which might be of special value for marker-assisted selection. The QTL detected in the present study provide new information on improving yield and yield components. Results of path analysis showed that bolls/plant had the largest contribution to lint yield, which is consistent with the mid-parent heterosis value in F1. Accordingly, in cotton breeding, bolls/plant can be considered first and other yield components measured as a whole to implement variety enhancement and hybrid selection of cotton.

Linkage disequilibrium based association mapping is a powerful tool for dissecting the genetic basis underlying complex traits. In this study, an association mapping panel consisting of 356 representative Upland cotton cultivars was constructed, evaluated in three environments and genotyped using 381 SSRs to detect molecular markers associated with lint yield and its components. The results showed that abundant phenotypic and moderate genetic diversities existed within this germplasm panel. The population could be divided into two subpopulations, and weak relatedness was detected between pair-wise accessions. LD decayed to the background (r(2) = 0.1182, P ≤ 0.01), r(2) = 0.1 and r(2) = 0.2 level within 12-13 cM, 17-18 cM and 3-4 cM, respectively, providing the potential for association mapping of agronomically important traits in Chinese Upland cotton. A total of 55 marker-trait associations were detected between 26 SSRs and seven lint yield traits, based on a mixed linear model (MLM) and Bonferroni correction (P ≤ 0.05/145, -log10 P ≥ 3.46). Of which 41 could be detected in more than one environment and 17 markers were simultaneously associated with two or more traits. Many associations were consistent with QTLs identified by linkage mapping in previous reports. Phenotypic values of alleles of each loci in 41 stably detected associations were compared, and 23 favorable alleles were identified. Population frequency of each favorable allele in historically released cultivar groups was also evaluated. The QTLs detected in this study will be helpful in further understanding the genetic basis of lint yield and its components, and the favorable alleles may facilitate future high-yield breeding by genomic selection in Upland cotton.

Cotton is the world's leading cash crop, and genetic improvement of fiber yield and quality is the primary objective of cotton breeding program. In this study, we used various approaches to identify QTLs related to fiber yield and quality. Firstly, we constructed a four-way cross (4WC) mapping population with four base core cultivars, Stoneville 2B, Foster 6, Deltapine 15 and Zhongmiansuo No.7 (CRI 7), as parents in Chinese cotton breeding history and identified 83 QTLs for 11 agronomic and fiber quality traits. Secondly, association mapping of agronomical and fiber quality traits was based on 121 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers using a general linear model (GLM). For this, 81 Gossypium hirsutum L. accessions including the four core parents and their derived cultivars were grown in seven diverse environments. Using these approaches, we successfully identified 180 QTLs significantly associated with agronomic and fiber quality traits. Among them were 66 QTLs that were identified via linkage disequilibrium (LD) and 4WC family-based linkage (FBL) mapping and by previously published family-based linkage (FBL) mapping in modern Chinese cotton cultivars. Twenty eight and 44 consistent QTLs were identified by 4WC and LD mapping, and by FBL and LD mapping methods, respectively. Furthermore, transmission and variation of QTL-alleles mapped by LD association in the three breeding periods revealed that some could be detected in almost all Chinese cotton cultivars, suggesting their stable transmission and some identified only in the four base cultivars and not in the modern cultivars, suggesting they were missed in conventional breeding. These results will be useful to conduct genomics-assisted breeding effectively using these existing and novel QTL alleles to improve yield and fiber qualities in cotton.

Background Cotton has been cultivated and used to make fabrics for at least 7000 years. Two allotetraploid species of great commercial importance, Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium barbadense, were domesticated after polyploidization and are cultivated worldwide. Although the overall genetic diversity between these two cultivated species has been studied with limited accessions, their population structure and genetic variations remain largely unknown. Results We resequence the genomes of 147 cotton accessions, including diverse wild relatives, landraces, and modern cultivars, and construct a comprehensive variation map to provide genomic insights into the divergence and dual domestication of these two important cultivated tetraploid cotton species. Phylogenetic analysis shows two divergent groups for G. hirsutum and G. barbadense, suggesting a dual domestication processes in tetraploid cottons. In spite of the strong genetic divergence, a small number of interspecific reciprocal introgression events are found between these species and the introgression pattern is significantly biased towards the gene flow from G. hirsutum into G. barbadense. We identify selective sweeps, some of which are associated with relatively highly expressed genes for fiber development and seed germination. Conclusions We report a comprehensive analysis of the evolution and domestication history of allotetraploid cottons based on the whole genomic variation between G. hirsutum and G. barbadense and between wild accessions and modern cultivars. These results provide genomic bases for improving cotton production and for further evolution analysis of polyploid crops. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13059-017-1167-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.