BREEDING ORGANIC COTTON CULTIVARS WITH DISTINCT MORPHOLOGICAL MARKER FOR PURITY MAINTENANCE

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: OTHER GRANTS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1013034
• Grant No.: 2017-51300-26812
• Cumulative Award Amt.: $783,237.00
• Proposal No.: 2017-02519
• Project Start Date: Sep 1, 2017
• Project End Date: Aug 31, 2022
• Grant Year: 2017
• Program Code: [113.A]- Organic Agriculture Research & Extension Initiative

Recipient Organization
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
750 AGRONOMY RD STE 2701
COLLEGE STATION,TX 77843-0001

Performing Department
Lubbock Research Center

Non Technical Summary
This project addresses OREI priority (4) to strengthen organic crop seed systems and plant breeding for organic production, with an emphasis on publically available releases. Cultivars with simply-inherited, co-dominant leaf shape distinct from commercial GE cotton cultivars will be developed for organic production. Commercial planting seed suitable for organic cotton production is limited because seed companies have shifted away from producing non-GE seed and such seeds are becoming more difficult to acquire. Conventional, non-GE cultivars were not developed for, and are not well adapted to, organic production. Organic cotton farmers save planting seed of obsolete cultivars, no longer commercially available without GE traits, under the PVPA farmer exemption. Farmers seeking to transition to organic production do not have access to seed under the 1994 restriction to this exemption. The major constraint to organic saved cotton seed for planting is unintended adventitious presence of GE traits. Breeding lines developed at Texas A&M AgriLife Research with stakeholder-defined objectives host plant resistance to thrips, disease resistance, low leaf pubescence, efficient plant architecture, drought tolerance, and enhanced fiber quality are included in a complex crossing scheme with okra-leaf shape sources. Studies will be conducted to investigate impact of leaf shape on other organic production considerations. The distinct leaf shape, visible prior to flowering, can be used to manage outcrossing and physical, mechanical contamination. GE avoidance and mitigation training using the okra-leaf marker will be provided. Project objectives address legislatively-defined goal (8), developing new and improved seed varieties particularly suited for organic agriculture.

Animal Health Component

60%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

10%

Applied

60%

Developmental

30%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
202	0199	1081	100%

Knowledge Area
202 - Plant Genetic Resources;

Subject Of Investigation
0199 - Soil and land, general;

Field Of Science
1081 - Breeding;

Keywords

cotton

organic

public cultivar

seed

Goals / Objectives
Long-term goal of this project is to sustain integrity of U. S. organic cotton production with high quality, organic-appropriate cotton cultivars homozygous for the okra-leaf trait, to avoid and mitigate adventitious presence (AP) of genetically engineered (GE) traits not approved in cultivars for organic production.Specific objectives of this project are to 1) develop publically available okra-leaf cotton cultivars appropriate for organic production systems (Dr. Dever); 2) compare leaf trash content of okra-leaf and normal leaf lines with varying pubescence (Dr. Byrd); 3) evaluate utility of existing okra-leaf sources as parental material and for organic production outside the West Texas region (Dr. Hague); 4) conduct fiber analysis and spinning trials on candidate okra-leaf lines (Dr. Kelly); 5) train organic cotton farmers on GE avoidance and mitigation measures using visual screening; 6) develop transformational curriculum for undergraduate and continuing education students. These objectives address long-term goals of developing appropriate cultivars, maintaining sustainable organic fiber markets, and preserving integrity of U. S. organic cotton.

Project Methods
Large, segregating populations will be developed via forced complex cross pollination with parental sources identified as appropriated for organic cotton production, and available okra-leaf accessions. Individual F2 generation okra-leaf plants will be analyzed for fiber quality, with an expected 10% selection intensity. F3 progeny rows will be rogued for leaf shape, sampled for fiber quality, and advanced to F4 progeny rows. F4 progeny rows selected for multi-location, small-plot replicated performance testing will be screened for disease resistance, boll type, abiotic and biotic stress tolerance. Eight cultivars, four okra leaf, and four normal, with four levels of leaf pubescence ratings within each leaf shape, will be identified using leaf hairiness index developed by Morgan, et al. (2015). Trials will be planted in 2-row plots, 10-12 m long, 1 m row width in two locations utilizing a completely random 2X2 factorial design with four replications. Leaf hair index will be recorded during each of two growing seasons, and each cultivar will be photographed to document leaf shape. Fiber from boll samples and grab samples will be sent to the USDA-AMS Lubbock classing office for leaf grade determination. The cultivar development approach proposed requires large segregating F2 populations to enhance probability of comprising a successful organic cultivar with the okra-leaf trait. Previous research shows fiber quality values from F2 individual plants is predictive of later generation quality (Kelly et al. 2013). Fiber quality is inherently variable and individual plant selection in the F2 generation, as opposed to bulk selection, results in more uniformity within a cultivar's individual fiber properties. Fiber analysis by HVI is objective, relatively quick and cost-effective. A new course, 'Organic Crop Production Systems,' will be created and upon approval will be taught yearly or more often if enrollment demand is high. The course will be offered as a standard course as well as in a distance delivered format with closed captioning for the hearing impaired. From these revised and new courses, teaching modules will be offered through the Texas A&M University's Plant Breeding academy which offers courses to individuals seeking short courses in plant breeding related topics.

Progress 09/01/17 to 08/02/22

Outputs
Target Audience:Organic cotton growers, ginners, and seed companies engaged in non-GE commercial cotton cultivar development are the primary target audeince forcandidate cultivar development objectives, any post-harvest processing issues, and plantingseed production. Secondary target audience is public cotton breeders and cotton research scientists involved in enhancing genetic diversity;and organic brands, manufacturers and suppliers. Partners with interaction throughout the projectinclude Plains Cotton Growers, Lamesa Cotton Growers, Cotton Incorporated, Organic Cotton Accelerator, Textile Exchange, Global Organic Textile Standards, King-Mesa Gin, O'Donnell Coop Gin, Meadow Coop Gin, Americot, Brownfield Seed and Delinting, May Seed Company, and Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?With Texas A&M Extension Organic Production Specialist, seminars (2021) and field days (2022) were conducted to train and consult with farmers on seed issues such as purity maintenance, processing exemption clarification, and different mechanisms for contamination potential inorganic cotton production. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Graduate students, PD, and Co-PDs attend Beltwide Cotton Research Conference and ASA-CSSA-SSSA each year of the project, presenting latest information on research conducted in each objective. Descriptions of cultivar releases funded by this project are published in the Journal of Plant Registrations. Individual meetings were held with seed companies developing and/or cmmercially producing non-GE cotton varieties. At least one field day associated with organic cotton production and seed development was held each year of the project (virtually in 2020 and 2021). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Two okra-leaf cotton cultivars approriate for organic production systems were developed, registered, released, and seed deposited in the National Plant Germplasm System and National Cotton Germplasm Collection. Disclosures and Material Transfer Agreements prepared with company interested in developing non-GE varieties for organic production. Final results of leaf trash content study are presented to farmers concerned about okra-leaf trait on cotton grades. Fiber quality of new okra-leaf germplasm is comparable to quality of normal-leaf cultivarscurrently used in most US organic cotton production. An additional okra-leaf cultivar candidate is in final year of multi-location replicated testing and seedincreased free from GE exposurein a dedicated greenhouse bay. This seed will be used to train organic farmers on GE avoidance and mitigation while producing planting seed for their farms or under contract with a seed company. A new course in organic crop production (SCSC 489) was developed at Texas A&M University Department of Soil and Crop Sciences.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Maeda, A. B., C. M. Kelly, V. A. Morgan, S. Hague, Z. C. Wyatt, and J. K. Dever. 2022. Registration of CA 4014 and CA 4015 cotton cultivars. Journal of Plant Registrations. 16(2), 205-211. https://doi.org/10.1002/plr2.20216.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Dever, J. K., V. Morgan, C.M. Kelly, A. B. Maeda, T. A. Wheeler, K. Stair, and M. M. Maeda. 2022. Cotton performance tests in the Texas High Plains, 2021. Texas A&M AgriLife Research Technical Report 22-2.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Wilson, B. R., J. K. Dever, C. M. Kelly, S. Hague, and S. A. Byrd. 2022. Effect of leaf and bract pubescence on fiber quality of normal and okra leaf cotton. Proceedings of the Beltwide Cotton Research Conference. National Cotton Council of America.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Johnson, J., S. Hague, J.K. Dever, and G. Sword. 2022. Influence of flower openness on yield in cotton [Abstract]. ASA, CSSA. SSSA International Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2022am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/143190

Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21

Outputs
Target Audience:Organic cotton growers (3) and ginners (1) were engaged regarding candidate cultivar releases and options to assist with selecting lines to go forward for seed production. Public cotton breeders and cotton research scientists involved in enhancing genetic diversity; companies involved in non-GM cotton seed breeding and development; organic cotton producers on the Southern High Plains. Partners with interaction during reporting period include Plains Cotton Growers, Cotton Incorporated, Organic Cotton Accelerator, Textile Exchange, Global Organic Textile Standards, Americot, Brownfield Seed and Delinting, and Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative. Texas A&M hired an Extension Orgnaic Production Specialist, Bob Whitney, in June 2020. We have established contact and he is organizing extension and information session in which we will participate. Changes/Problems:A planned candidate cultivar demonstration with GPS coordinates for farmers to view at their convenience (in absence of group field days) with QR codes to multi-year, multi-location data was destroyed by tornado and hail damage. Seed increase blocks in another location were also damaged but still stand though quantities may be limited. Fiber will also be too limited to perform spinning trials, so advancement to commercial stage will be based on fiber properties only. Publication of cultivar registration manuscript is delayed. Another graduate student, Joshua Johnson, is being supported by the project after Martin Costa's early departure. Thus, a one-year extension of this project was requested and approved. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Graduate student Bradley Wilson virtually attended and presented project results at the Beltwide Cotton Research Conference in January 2021 and won first place in the graduate student competition. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Nursery and test results were reported at the annual meetings of the Plains Cotton Improvement Program board and Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative and biannually to the project advisory board. Data for candidate organic cotton cultivars was provided to potential seed company partners. Course syllabus SCSC 489 is published in the Texas A&M University undergraduate catalog. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Candidate cultivars planted in demonstration plots for organic farmer input was lost to tornados and hail damage, so it will be repeated in 2022. If 2021 seed increase is productive, lines most appropriate for organic cotton production will be available for demonstration plots on certified organic farms and breeder seed increase for transferring to planting seed production partners. Graduate student Bradley Wilson, Oklahoma State, will continue formal research project on leaf hair experiments. A full proposal will be re-submitted to SARE to establish a framework for a sustainable organic cotton seed production system. A manuscript will be submitted to Journal of Plant Registrations describing new okra-leaf cultivars CA 4014 and CA 4015.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? From repeated season multi-location data and adventitious presence of GE traits, two candidate cultivars were selected to present to the Texas A&M Plant Release Committee and prepare for registration manuscript publication in Journal of Plant Registrations. Eight normal leaf and eight okra leaf cultivars were planted in replicated trials at two locations for the third year, since one location was not a repeat of the first year; data were analyzed and presented at the Beltwide Cotton Conference virtually (with first place graduate student presentation for Bradley Wilson). Seed increases were harvested, and three trial locations planted with next generation of okra-leaf lines. A SARE proposal was submitted to supplement farmer training on GE avoidance, 'Establishing a framework for a sustainable organic cotton seed production system in west Texas.' This proposal describes strategies and mechanisms to move cultivars developed in this project into commercial use. Texas A&M University Soil and Crop Science Department course SCSC 489, Organic Crop Production was taught in Fall semester by Co-PD Steve Hague. Organic farmers on our advisory board guest-taught some sessions.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Ayele, A. G., T. A. Wheeler, and J. K. Dever. 2020. Impacts of Verticillium wilt on photosynthesis rate, lint production, and fiber quality of greenhouse-grown cotton, Gossypium hirsutum. Plants. 9(7):857. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9070857
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Ayele, A. G., J. K. Dever, C. M. Kelly, M. Sheehan, V. Morgan, and P. Payton. 2020. Responses of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) lines to irrigated and rainfed conditions of Texas High Plains." Plants 9(11): 1598. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9111598
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Zheng, L., J. Wu, F. Bourland, B. T. Campbell, J. K. Dever, S. Hague, G. O. Myers, T. B. Raper, C. W. Smith, and J. Zhang. 2021. Comparative study of transgenic and non-transgenic cotton. Crop Science. 61(4):2467-2477. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20522
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Dever, J. K., V. Morgan, C. M. Kelly, A. Maeda, T. A. Wheeler, and K. Stair. 2021. Cotton performance tests in the Texas High Plains, 2020. Texas A&M AgriLife Research Technical Report 21-1.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Wilson, B.W., S.A. Byrd, J.K. Dever, and C.M. Kelly. 2020. Impacts of leaf and bract pubescence on fiber quality of normal and okra leaf cotton. Proceedings of the Beltwide Cotton Conferences, p. 247-249, Austin, TX, January 8-10, 2020.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Wilson, B., S.A. Byrd, J. Dever, C.M. Kelly, and S. Hague. 2021. Effects of leaf and bract pubescence on fiber quality of normal and okra leaf cotton. Proceedings of the Beltwide Cotton Conferences, p. 229, Virtual, January 5-7, 2021.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Kelly, C. M., J. K. Dever, and V. A. Morgan. 2021 Registration of CA 4009 and CA 4010 cotton germplasm lines. Journal of Plant Registrations. 15(2): 366-371. https://doi.org/10.1002/plr2.20126

Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Public cotton breeders and cotton research scientists involved in enhancing genetic diversity; companies involved in non-GM cotton seed breeding and development; organic cotton producers on the Southern High Plains. Partners with interaction during reporting period include Plains Cotton Growers, Cotton Incorporated, Organic Cotton Accelerator, Textile Exchange, New Deal Grain, Inc., Brownfield Seed and Delinting, and Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Graduate students Martin Costa and Bradley Wilson attended and presented project results at the Beltwide Cotton Research Conference in January 2020. Martin Costa completed non-thesis M. S. in May. Project director Jane Dever edited a situational analysis of organic cotton seed systems and intervention proposals per geography for the Organic Cotton Accelerator Global Organic Cottonseed Task Force. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Third year nursery and test results were reported at the annual meetings of the Plains Cotton Improvement Program board and Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative and biannually to the project advisory board. Data for candidate organic cotton cultivars was provided to potential seed company partners. Course syllabus SCSC 489 is published in the Texas A&M University undergraduate catalog. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Final year of multi-location performance trials on 10 candidate cultivars will be completed. Lines most appropriate for organic cotton production will be available for demonstration plots on certified organic farms and breeder seed increase for transferring to planting seed production partners. Extensive testing for adventitious presence of GE traits will identify lines that can be transferred to breeder seed production. Large-plot increases will be established to produce enough fiber for spinning trials. One graduate student, Bradley Wilson at Oklahoma State, will continue formal research projects on leaf hair experiments. If invited, a full proposal will be developed for SARE to establish a framework for a sustainable organic cotton seed production system. A field day for organic cotton farmers will be held in the Fall to observe candidate cultivars under rainfed and irrigated organic production.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The project moved from nursery to line testing and candidate cultivar stage after 2019. Repeated season multi-location data were prepared for 10 candidate okra-leaf cultivars. Candidate cultivars were tested for adventitious presence of GE traits. Eight normal leaf and eight okra leaf cultivars were planted in replicated trials at two locations for the second year; first year data were analyzed. Seed increases to plant 2020 spinning trial projects were harvested. A pre-proposal to SARE was submitted to supplement farmer training on GE avoidance, 'Establishing a framework for a sustainable organic cotton seed production system in west Texas.' This proposal describes strategies and mechanisms to move cultivars developed in this project into commercial use. Texas A&M University Soil and Crop Science Department course SCSC 489, Organic Crop Production was taught in Fall semester by Co-PD Steve Hague. Organic farmers on our advisory board guest-taught some sessions.

Publications

• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Dever, J. K., V. Morgan, C. M. Kelly, T. A. Wheeler, and K. Stair. 2020. Cotton performance tests in the Texas High Plains, 2019. Texas A&M AgriLife Research Technical Report 20-1.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Costa, M., J. K. Dever, and S. Hague. 2020. Breeding cotton for organic production. Beltwide Cotton Research Conference. National Cotton Council of America.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Arce, Joel. 2019. Evaluation of a mechanical cottonseed delinter for breeders. Texas A&M University.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Zeng, L., D. L. Boykin, J. Zhang, E. Bechere, J. K. Dever, B. T. Campbell, T. B. Raper, S. Hague, C. Meeks, C. W. Smith, G. O. Myers and F. M. Bourland. 2019. Analysis of testing locations in regional high-quality tests for cotton fiber quality traits. The Journal of Cotton Science. 23:284-291.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Mathangadeera, R. W., E. F. Hequet, B. Kelly, J. K. Dever, and C. M. Kelly. 2020. Importance of cotton fiber elongation in fiber processing. Industrial Crops and Products. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2020.112217. 147 (2020): 112217.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Mauget, S., M. Ulloa, and J. K. Dever. 2019. Planting date effects on cotton lint yield and fiber quality in the U. S. southern high plains. Agriculture: 9(4) 82; doi:10.3390/agriculture9040082.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Dever, J. K., C. M. Kelly, A. Ayele, J. Zwonitzer, P. Payton, and D. Jones. 2020. Registration of CA 4007 cotton germplasm line for water-limited production. Journal of Plant Registrations. 14(1):49-56.

Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Public cotton breeders and cotton research scientists involved in enhancing genetic diversity; companies involved in non-GM cotton seed breeding and development; organic cotton producers on the Southern High Plains. Commodity partners include Plains Cotton Growers, Cotton Incorporated, Cotton Foundation, and Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative.Public cotton breeders and cotton research scientists involved in enhancing genetic diversity; companies involved in non-GM cotton seed breeding and development; organic cotton producers on the Southern High Plains. Commodity partners include Plains Cotton Growers, Cotton Incorporated, Cotton Foundation, and Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative. Changes/Problems:Proliferation of low percentage GE adventitious presence (AP) persists even in okra-leaf nurseries and reduces the numbers of lines that can be tested on organic farms. Proposal by Global Organic Textile Standards to test seed cotton after harvest and before ginning for AP belies the National Organic Standards Board planting seed rules this project aims to address. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Graduate student Martin Costa participated in GE mitigation training with organic cotton farmers and seed producers in October. Project director Jane Dever attended Organic and Non-GMO Forum in October and presented a session on organic cotton at the AEIC Advancing Bioanalytical Technologies meeting in April. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?First and second year nursery results were reported at the annual meetings of the Plains Cotton Improvement Program board and Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative and biannually to the project advisory board. New course syllabus SCSC 489 is published in the Texas A&M University undergraduate catalog. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?All nurseries, tests and leaf hair experiments will be harvested and analyzed; lines most appropriate for organic cotton production will be entered in multi-location performance testing on certified organic farms. Large-plot increases will be established to produce enough fiber for spinning trials. Two undergraduate students will complete internships and two graduate students, one at Texas A&M and one at Oklahoma State will continue formal research projects. A field day for organic cotton farmers will be held in the Fall to observe candidate cultivars under rainfed and irrigated organic production.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? A pure okra-leaf breeding nursery is established; 24 of 39 individual plant selections were advanced to F5 progeny rows; and 49 of 83 were advanced to F4 progeny rows based on superior fiber quality, boll type appropriate for organic production, and resistance to bacterial blight. Five lines were selected from 120 progeny rows are planted in three irrigated and two rainfed multi-location performance testing. Three lines were selected for second year of testing on organic farms. Candidate cultivar 17-5-104 performed well under rain-fed production and 17-5-117 performed well under irrigated production. Eight normal leaf and eight okra leaf cultivars were planted in replicated trials at two locations; leaf hair ratings indicate appropriate variation to determine interaction of leaf hair and leaf shape on lint trash. First training for GE mitigation by visual screening was held October 2, 2018. Analysis of mechanical cottonseed delinting was completed in May. Texas A&M University Soil and Crop Science Department course SCSC 489, Organic Crop Production was taught in Fall semester by Organic farmers on our advisory board, Jimmy Wedel and Carl Pepper, guest-taught classes.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Kelly, C. M., J. Osorio-Marin, N. Kothari, S. Hague, and J. K. Dever. 2019. Genetic improvement in cotton fiber elongation can impact yarn quality. Industrial Crops and Products 129:1-9.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Ayele, A., T. A. Wheeler, and J. K. Dever. 2019. Impact of Verticillium wilt on fiber quality of greenhouse-grown cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) breeding lines. Beltwide Cotton Research Conference. National Cotton Council of America.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Wheeler, T. A., and J. K. Dever. 2019. Effect of Verticillium wilt and bacterial blight on commercial cotton varieties in 2018. Beltwide Cotton Research Conference. National Cotton Council of America.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Dever, J. K., V. Morgan, C. M. Kelly, T. A. Wheeler, S. Vyavhare, K. Stair, and J. Arce. 2019. Cotton performance tests in the Texas High Plains, 2018. Texas A&M AgriLife Research Technical Report 19-1.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Arce, J., J. K. Dever. T. A. Wheeler, G. A. Holt, and S. Hague. 2019. Evaluation of mechanical cotton seed delinter for breeders. Beltwide Cotton Research Conference. National Cotton Council of America.

Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Public cotton breeders and cotton research scientists involved in enhancing genetic diversity; companies involved in non-GM cotton seed breeding and development; organic cotton producers on the Southern High Plains. Commodity partners include Plains Cotton Growers, Cotton Incorporated, Cotton Foundation, and Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative. Changes/Problems:Co-PD Dr. Seth Byrd accepted State Cotton Extension Specialist position at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. Subaward for his objective and plan of work was transferred to Oklahoma State. Dr. Byrd will travel to Texas for initial pubescence ratings August 23 and will continue to manage his portion of this project. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension as collaborating organization is now Oklahoma State University. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two undergraduate students completed summer internships for course credit in organic plant breeding. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?First year nursery results are reported at the annual meetings of the Plains Cotton Improvement Program board and Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative and biannually to the project advisory board. New course syllabus SCSC 489 is published in the Texas A&M University undergraduate catalog. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?All nurseries and tests will be harvested and analyzed; lines most appropriate for organic cotton production will be entered in multi-location performance testing on certified organic farms. Seed from 2018 increase from normal-leaf and okra-leaf lines with varying pubescence levels will be used to establish trials to evaluate leaf trash levels under organic harvest methods. Current okra-leaf cultivars deemed appropriate for organic production will be used to create new segregating populations. Large-plot increases will be established to produce enough fiber for spinning trials. The first organic crop production undergraduate course at Texas A&M will be taught; two more undergraduate students will complete internships and one graduate student will begin formal research project.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? A pure okra-leaf breeding nursery was established; 24 individual plant selections were advanced to F4 progeny rows based on superior fiber quality, boll type appropriate for organic production, and resistance to bacterial blight. Seventy preliminary cultivar candidates were planted in progeny rows and three lines were selected for testing on organic farms. Selection intensity for organic production at 33% moved 56 of 170 F2 plant selections to progeny rows in 2018. Eight normal leaf and eight okra leaf cultivars were increased in greenhouse and are field-planted to increase seed for further experiments; leaf hair ratings are recorded. Multi-location yield trials are complete for potential parental material. Candidate cultivars have fiber fineness 3.9-4.0, fiber length 1.17-1.19 in, length uniformity 82-84.5, fiber strength 29-31 g/tex, and elongation percent 6.7-8 compared to standard organic cultivar FM 958 at 3.7, 1.16, 81, 30.7, and 6.1 respectively. First training for GE mitigation by visual screening is planned October 2, 2018. A course syllabus has been created and approved at Texas A&M University Soil and Crop Science Department for SCSC 489, Organic Crop Production to be taught in Fall semester. Dr. Steve Hague consulted with organic farmers on our advisory board to develop the course syllabus.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Wann, D. Q., J. K. Dever, M. D. Arnold, and *H.D. Elkins. 2017. Genetic analysis and gain from selection of thrips resistance in cotton. Euphytica, 213:70 doi:10.1007/s10681-017-1861-0.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Dever, J. K., V. Morgan, C. M. Kelly, T. A. Wheeler, S. Byrd, K. Stair, and J. Arce. 2018. Cotton performance tests in the Texas High Plains, 2017. Texas A&M AgriLife Research Technical Report 18-1.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Wheeler, T. A., J. Woodward, and J. K. Dever. 2018. The response of varieties to Verticillium wilt and bacterial blight in the Southern High Plains. Beltwide Cotton Research Conference. National Cotton Council of America.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Kelly, C. M., J. K. Dever, and B. Kelly. 2018. Processing a nursery: Evaluating the utilization potential of early generation material. Beltwide Cotton Research Conference. National Cotton Council of America.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Wann, D. Q., J. K. Dever, M. D. Arnold, M. N. Parajulee, and *H. D. Elkins. 2017. Registration of CA 4005 and CA 4006 cotton germplasm lines with partial resistance to feeding injury from thrips pests. J. Plant Registrations. DOI: 10.3198/jpr2017.03.0017crg.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Bourgou, L., B. Koulibaly, O. S. Hema, M. Sawadogo, D. Sanfo, H. S. E. Bamba, *C. M. Kelly, and J. K. Dever. 2018. Characterizing primitive cotton accessions (Gossypium spp.) collected in Burkina Faso to identify potential sources for fiber quality enhancement in West African cultivars. Journal of Cotton Science 22(1):1-11.