The inheritance of certain seed, leaf, and flower characters in Gossypium hirsutum and some of their genetic interrelations.

In a study of inheritance in G. hirsutum, no sterility, abnormal characters, or non-Mendelian segregations were observed in the F1 and F2 generations of crosses between standard and unimproved varieties. This is in contrast to the findings of several workers who made studies of the inheritance in crosses between G. hirsutum and G. barbadense. The characters naked seed and fuzzy-tip seed proved to be simple Mendelian dominants to entire fuzzy seed. Five naked seed characters, having lint percentages varying from about 30 to practically no lint, proved to be genetically identical with regard to the absence of seed fuzz. Naked seed was found to be dominant in F1 to fuzzy-tip seed and to segregate in F2 in the ratio of 12 naked: 3 fuzzy-tip: 1 fuzzy. Green seed fuzz and brown seed fuzz proved to be dominant to white seed fuzz, each cross giving a simple monohybrid segregation in F2. Green seed, in turn, proved dominant to brown. The numbers in F2 and F3 were too small to demonstrate a complete dihybrid segregation, but assuming independent inheritance of the factors for green and brown seed a ratio of 12 green: 3 brown: 1 white would, be expected. Using the characters red leaf, petal spot, naked seed, buff anthers, and okra leaf, all the possible crosses were made. No indication of linkage was evident between any of the characters in the F2 generations. In addition to their F2 segregations, the factors R and B, R and S, and B and S were tested by means of back crosses.