Evaluation for Lint Yield and Seed Traits Using National Cotton Variety Trials Data.

Cost for variety trials is an important factor in cotton breeding. Analysis of relationships among test locations for lint yield might identify the unnecessarily repeated locations and reduce the number of test sites. The National Cotton Variety Testing Program (NCVT) is a system that provides data from yield trials at testing locations across U.S. Cotton Belt. Regional High Quality Test (RHQ) was conducted as part of NCVT trials. The data of the RHQ from 2003 to 2009 were used to analyze relationships among testing locations using GGE biplot software. Although no clear megaenvironments were identified among testing locations, the locations of Las Cruces, NM in the Western and Lubbock, TX in the Plains testing regions were identified as distinct from the testing locations in the other areas. The environments in the U.S. Cotton Belt appear to belong to one megaenvironment with the Western and the Plains as a subregion. Seed traits were analyzed using RHQ data from 1998 to 2012. Relationships between yield components and seed traits were analyzed and discussed.