Abstract
Genetic improvement in seed cotton yield has always been a top priority of cotton breeders. The present study, therefore, was conducted in triplicated trial comprising thirty F-t and six parents under normal and drought conditions. Different crosses showed heterosis of high exploitable magnitude for different characters. Significant negative heterosis and heterobeltiosis under both water regimes was manifested for initial Nodes by FH-901xFH-634; for Plant height by HR-VO-1xBH-118, FH-634xBH-118, FH-634xCIM-448 and for number of monopodial branches by FH-634xHR-VO-1. Significant positive heterosis and heterobeltiosis under both water regimes was manifested for number of sympodial branches per plant by FH-901xHR-VO-1 and CIM-448xKrishna and their reciprocals; for number of boll per plant by FH-901 X Krishna and CIM-448xKrishna and their reciprocal; for GOT % by CIM-448 x BH-118 and its reciprocal, CIM-448xHR-VO-1 and BH-118xHR-VO-1 and for seed cotton yield by FH-901 x Krishna, CIM-448xKrishna and their reciprocals and KrishnaxFH-634. Whereas, for, Boll weight, FH-634xCIM-448 and BH-118xCIM-448 under normal and hybrids FH-901xKrishna and it's reciprocal under water stress regime manifested significant positive heterosis and heterobeltiosis.