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Abstract Background Understanding the mechanism of male sterility is crucial for producing hybrid seeds and developing sterile germplasm resources. However, only a few cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) lines of cotton have been produced due to several challenges, like inadequate variation of agronomic traits, incomplete sterility, weak resilience of restorer lines, and difficulty in combining strong dominance. Therefore, the morphological and cytological identification of CMS in cotton will facilitate hybrid breeding. Results Two F2 segregating populations of cotton were constructed from cytoplasmic male sterile lines (HaA and 01A, maternal) and restorer lines (HaR and 26R, paternal). Genetic analysis of these populations revealed a segregation ratio of 3:1 for fertile to sterile plants. Phenotypic analysis indicated no significant differences in traits of flower bud development between sterile and fertile plants. However, sterile plants exhibited smaller floral organs, shortened filament lengths, and anther atrophy on the flowering day in comparison with the fertile plants. When performed scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the two F2 populations revealed morphological variations in the anther epidermis. Cellular analysis showed no significant differences in pollen development before pollen maturation. Interestingly, between the pollen maturation and flowering stages, the tapetum layer of sterile plants degenerated prematurely, resulting in abnormal pollen grains and gradual pollen degradation. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that fertility-restoring genes are controlled by a single dominant gene. Sterile plants exhibit distinctive floral morphology, which is characterized by stamen atrophy and abnormal anthers. Pollen abortion occurs between pollen maturity and flowering, indicating that premature tapetum degradation may be the primary cause of pollen abortion. Overall, our study provides a theoretical basis for utilizing CMS in hybrid breeding and in-depth investigation of the dominant configuration of cotton hybrid combinations, mechanisms of sterility, and the role of sterile and restorer genes.

Abstract Background Cotton fiber yield is a complex trait, which can be influenced by multiple agronomic traits. Unravelling the genetic basis of cotton fiber yield-related traits contributes to genetic improvement of cotton. Results In this study, 503 upland cotton varieties covering the four breeding stages (BS1–BS4, 1911–2011) in China were used for association mapping and domestication analysis. One hundred and forty SSR markers significantly associated with ten fiber yield-related traits were identified, among which, 29 markers showed an increasing trend contribution to cotton yield-related traits from BS1 to BS4, and 26 markers showed decreased trend effect. Four favorable alleles of 9 major loci (R 2 ≥ 3) were strongly selected during the breeding stages, and the candidate genes of the four strongly selected alleles were predicated according to the gene function annotation and tissue expression data. Conclusions The study not only uncovers the genetic basis of 10 cotton yield-related traits but also provides genetic evidence for cotton improvement during the cotton breeding process in China.