Development of high fiber quality, high-yielding, and salt stress-tolerant initial cotton genotypes using gene pyramiding technology

Marker-assisted selection (MAS) accelerates conventional breeding and enables precise evaluation of target traits. Gene pyramiding is an effective strategy for combining multiple favorable genes to improve plant performance. In this study, genes associated with high fiber strength, salt stress tolerance, and increased yield were integrated into a single genotype using a gene pyramiding approach. Seven Gossypium hirsutum cultivars/lines were used to develop complex F2 populations, which were evaluated using phenotypic and molecular approaches. Salt tolerance was assessed during germination and early seedling stages under 150 and 200 mM NaCl treatments. Fiber quality traits were determined using the HVI system, while yield potential was estimated by lint percentage. Molecular analysis with 160 SSR markers, of which 55 were polymorphic, detected 152 alleles, revealing considerable genetic diversity (2.76 alleles per locus; PIC = 0.37–0.66; He = 0.41–0.66). Promising F2 individuals combining desirable traits were identified, exhibiting fiber strength of 34.4–37.4 g/tex, lint percentage up to 39.05%, and stable performance under salt stress. These findings demonstrate that MAS combined with gene pyramiding can effectively integrate favorable alleles for fiber quality, yield, and salinity tolerance from three parental genotypes into a single genetic background, providing a promising strategy for cotton improvement.

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