Development of Cotton (Gossypium Hirsutum L.) Variety JK 119 Producing Higher Yield Than Dch 32 Hybrid

With a view to evolve a pure breeding Gossypium hirsutum L. cotton variety that produces higher yield than DCH 32 interspecific hybrid, composite crossing in ₁ was done in 1975. Composite crossed populations, selections made, and intermated populations were grown with minimum plant protection for 3 years. Selection norms for yield, earliness, big-boll-small-bract, lint length, lint per cent, jassid and Mack arm resistance, were fixed. Promising 14 selections were yield tested at two locations and uniformity of progenies was ascertained. The final selection, JK 119-25-54, was tested in multilocation trials for 6 years in the South Zone of All-India Coordinated Cotton Improvement Project (A1CC1P). The strain topped in yields with 33.3% increased lint yield over local checks, 50.7% over MCU-5, and 14.4% higher than the zonal check, LRA 5166. The strain JK 119-25-54 was also found to be highly tolerant to boll worms. At Raichur it gave higher yield over DCH 32 hybrid cotton. It was tested as JK 119 in farmers fields in Tungabhadra and Malaprabha Project areas and gave up to 23% higher yield than hybrid DCH 32 and recognised to be highly tolerant to boll worms also by farmers. The variety JK 119 was released for cultivation by small and marginal farmers through AICCIP in June 1988.