B. Todd Campbell. The National Plant Germplasm System Cotton Collection includes critical genetic diversity, including roughly 2,500 landraces. Those landraces are largely underused because of limited information about their agronomic potential and photoperiod sensitivity. Nearly 20 years ago, Dr. Todd Campbell (USDA-ARS Coastal Plains Soil, Water, and Plant Research Center, Florence, SC) identified 216 day-length neutral landraces that are now undergoing genetic characterization and extensive field evaluation of agronomic traits, fiber quality, drought tolerance, and pest resistance. ARS Florence and two collaborating USDA-ARS research units developed and released nine high-quality, germplasm lines derived from those landraces that introduce valuable new diversity for cotton breeding programs.
NPGS Germplasm Provides Valuable Genetic Variation for Cotton Breeding
