Two Preliminary Reliable Indicators of Earliness in Cotton-II

Two preliminary earliness indicators (main stem node number of first sympodial branch and days taken to open first flower) were evaluated. Seven advance strains and four commercial varieties to check their reliability and also to screen out most early varieties for further exploitation in breeding programs as well as at the farmers fields. CRIS-110 produced significantly lowest main stem node number of first sympodial branch (5.9) and was recorded as early variety followed by CRIS-85 and CRIS-107 (6.8) and CRIS-117 (7.1). CRIS-9 was observed as late variety in the test which produced significantly highest main stem node number of first sympodial branch (9.12). As regards the second parameter (days taken to open first flower, CRIS-79, CRIS-85, CIM-443 and CIM-448 opened their first flower (44- DAP) earlier than the other and were observed as early maturing varieties. CRIS-9 opened its first flower after 48 days of planting and was observed late with the similar trend shown while producing first sympodial node number. The two indicators studied are reliable and efficient while predicting the earliness of any variety.