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Fitness of Hybrids between Gossypium barbadense and Upland Cotton and Resistance to Pectinophora gossypiella and Alabama argillacea



Author(s)

Lucia Vieira Hoffmann, Paulo Augusto Vianna Barroso, Jair Moisés de Sousa and Flora Ismail Tibazarwa

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DOI:10.17265/1934-7391/2013.08.006

Measuring fitness is essential for understanding the potential impacts of hybridisation between transgenic crops and their wild relatives. Transgenic Cry1Ac cotton Gossypium hirsutum and G. barbadense hybridise, the latter being valued as backyard cotton and an important genetic resource. G. barbadense was outcrossed to G. hirsutum containing the gene Cry1Ac and the isoline and the offspring evaluated for fitness as a measure of resistance to common pests and other growth parameters. Resistance to Pectinophora gossypiella and Alabama argillacea were greater in transgenic plants. Number of seeds per plant was higher in the F₁ hybrids and G. hirsutum, F₂ populations were intermediary; G. barbadense produced the least seeds per plant during the period of analysis. Anthesis of the first flower and opening of the first boll occurred earlier for G. hirsutum and F₁ hybrids than F₂; latest for G. barbadense. The observed performance of resistance to the worms in the hybrids suggests that among F₁ and F₂ populations transgenic hybrids may exhibit a competitive advantage over non-transgenic plants as a result of gene flow.

Biosafety, pink bollworm, cotton leaf worm, gene flow.