Morphological Descriptor

Cotton

MORPHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTOR
COTTON (Gossypium L.)

Federal Seed Certification & Registration Department

Ministry of Food, Agriculture & Livestock
Government of Pakistan, Islamabad
Morphological Descriptor
Cotton

Testing Genetic Suitability and Adaptability: and

Registration of Crop Varieties is Legal Obligation
under Section 8 of Seed Act, 1976.

Dr. M. Ashraf Tajammal

Ms. Naheed Naz
Morphological Descriptor
Cotton

GENERAL
Variety name ……………………………………………
Parentage ……………………………………………
Pedigree ……………………………………………
Breeder (s) ……………………………………………
Breeding center/institute ……………………………………………
Variety maintainer ……………………………………………
Comparable variety (s) ……………………………………………
Origin  Local  Exotic
Breeding method  Selection  Hybridization  Introduction  Any other
Areas of adaptation …………………………..
Type of variety  Upland  Desi  Upland Hybrid
Days to maturity …………. [Range…….]
Maturity  Early  Medium  Late
Earlier than …………. (Cultivar)
Later than …………. (Cultivar)
Days to opening …………. [50% boll splitting]

SEEDLING CHARACTERISTICS
Seedling length (cm) ………..
Seedling color  L. green  Green  Dark green
Foliage spot  Absent  Present

PLANT CHARACTERISTICS
Growth habit  Compact  Medium compact  Spreading  Bushy
Plant height (cm) ………….
Plant shape  Cylindrical  Conical  Spreading
Fruiting branch type  Normal  Short  Cluster
Monopodia attitude  Erect  Semi erect  Horizontal
Sympodia attitude  Erect  Semi erect  Horizontal
Nodes to Ist monopodia ………….
Monopodia/plant ………….
Sympodia/plant ………….
Stem pigmentation  Weak  Medium  Strong
Stem tip hairiness  Absent  Sparse  Medium  Profuse
Bud gossypol  Glandless  Low  Normal  High

LEAF CHARACTERISTICS
Foliage density  Sparse  Intermediate  Dense [at bolling]
Leaf color  Light green  Green  Dark green  Light red  Dark red
Leaf length (cm) ………….
Leaf width (cm) ………….
Petiole length (cm) ………….
Petiole anthocyanin  Absent  Present
Leaf attitude  Erect  Semi erect  Horizontal
Leaf type  Normal  Semi okra  Okra  Lanceolate
Leaf appearance  Cup  Flat
Leaf nectaries  Absent  Present
Leaf hairiness  Absent  Sparse  Medium  Profuse

FLOWER CHARACTERISTICS
Days to flowering …………. (50% flowering)
Flowering duration  Short  Medium  Long
Flower size  Small  Medium  Large
Sepal pigmentation  Absent  Present (at peak flowering)
Morphological Descriptor
Cotton

Petal spot  Absent  Present

Nectaries  Absent  Present
Petal color  White  Cream  Yellow  Pink  Red  Bicolor
Anther color  White  Cream  Yellow  Red  Purple
Stamen density  Lax  Semi dense  Dense
Position of stigma  Embeded  Exserted
Stigma exsertion (mm) ………….
Stigma height (mm) ………….
Calyx size  Short & narrow  Intermediate  Large/broad

BOLL CHARACTERISTICS
Boll bearing habit  Solitary  Cluster
Boll shape  Round  Oval  Conical
Boll color  Green  Red
Boll size (Boll width at  Small  Medium  Large
maximum point)
Beak size  V. short  Short  Medium  Long  V. long
Boll length (cm) ………….
Boll breadth (cm) ………….
Boll broad at  Base  Lower mid  Middle
Peduncle length (cm) ………….
Boll surface  Smooth  Finely  Roughly pitted
Gossypol  Glandless  Low  Normal  High
Bracteole length  Short  Medium  Long  V. long
Bracteole width  Narrow  Medium  Wide
Bolls/plant …………
Boll opening  Close  Semi open  Open
Boll weight (g) ………….
Yield (seed cotton) .……/..…..
(kg/acre)
Yield (lint) kg/acre …..../……

SEED CHARACTERISTICS
Seed size  Small  Medium  Bold
Seed shape  Oblong  Semi orbicular  Obovate  Ellipsoid
Seed length (mm) …………
Seed width (mm) …………
Seed index (g) …………
Seed coat color  Brown  Dark brown
Seed fuzz  Fuzz less  Semi fuzzy  Fuzzy Densely fuzzy
Fuzz color  White  Dusky white  Green tinge  Green tip
Oil content (%) …………

FIBRE CHARACTERISTICS
Fibre color  Shiny white  White  Cream  Brownish  Greenish
GOT/Lint (%) …………
Staple length (mm) …………
Fineness (micronaire) …………
Fiber strength (tppsi) …………
Lint index (g) …………
Uniformity (%) …………
Spinning index …………
Fibre length group  Short (20.6 mm)… Medium (20.6-25.4 mm)  Medium long (26.2-27.7
mm)  Long (28.5-33.3 mm)
Morphological Descriptor
Cotton

ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTABILITY (Evaluation done under define conditions)

Flowering Response to  Stable  Variable  Highly variable
seasons

Drought tolerance  Least tolerant  Medium  Most tolerant

(Measured as reduction
in yield).

Tolerance to salinity  Least tolerant  Medium  Most tolerant

(Measured by reduction
in plant height 30 days
after sowing).

Tolerance to acid soils  Least tolerant  Medium  Most tolerant

(Measured as reduction
in plant height 30 days
after sowing).

Cold tolerance  Least tolerant  Medium  Most tolerant

(Measured as reduction
in general vigour and
productivity after being
continuously exposed to
an average temperature
of 15 °C for at least 15
days).

Heat tolerance  Least tolerant  Medium  Most tolerant

(Measured as yield
reduction when
continuously exposed to
average of 40 °C during
the flowering period).

RESISTANCE TO INSECTS/PESTS
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RESISTANCE TO DISEASES
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DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
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Morphological Descriptor
Cotton

RECOMMENDED/APPROVED BY
Variety Evaluation Committee (VEC)  Yes  No
Experts Sub Committee  Yes  No
Provincial Seed Council  Yes  No

COMMENTS OF SPOT EXAMINATION

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
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METHODS AND OBSERVATIONS

The assessment of distinctness and stability observations should be made on 40 plants or parts of plants
which should be divided among 4 replications (10 plants per replication). The number of apparent plant
should not exceed 4 in 40.

For the assessment of uniformity of characteristics on the plot as a whole (visual assessment by a single
observation of a group of plants or parts of plants), the number of aberrant plants or parts of plants should
not exceed 8 in 150.

All leaf characteristics should be observed on 4th leaf from the top.

IMPORTANT PLANT CHARACTERISTICS TO BE RECORDED

1. AT PEAK FLOWERING
Stem pigmentation, Stem tip hairiness, Leaf color, Petiole anthocyanin, Leaf type, Leaf appearance,
Leaf nectarines, Leaf hairiness, Petal color, Anther color, Position of stigma

2. BEFORE BOLL BURSTING

Boll shape, Boll color, Boll size (Boll width at maximum point)

3. FIRST BOLL BURSTING

Boll bearing habit, Boll surface

4. FIRST PICKING
Boll opening, Boll weight (g), Staple length (mm)

5. FINAL PICKING
Plant height (cm)

6. HARVEST MATURITY
Fuzz color, Fibre color, GOT/Lint (%), Fineness (micronaire), Fiber strength (tppsi), Uniformity (%)

7. AFTER GINNING
Seed Fuzz
Morphological Descriptor
Cotton

PLANT SHAPE

Cylindrical Conical Spreading

LEAF SHAPE

Normal Semi okra Okra Lanceolate

Morphological Descriptor
Cotton

BRACT TYPE

Normal Frego

POSITION OF STIGMA

Embeded Exserted
Morphological Descriptor
Cotton

BOLL SHAPE

Round

Oval Conical

BEAK SHAPE

Short Long
Morphological Descriptor
Cotton

BOLL OPENING

Close Semi open Open

SEED SHAPE

Oblong Semi orbicular

Obovate Ellipsoid
Morphological Descriptor
Cotton

SEED FUZZ

.
Fuzz less Semi fuzzy Fuzzy

Densely fuzzy