Abstract

Cotton is a vital fiber crop that significantly contributes to the agricultural economy. The improvement of high-yielding cotton varieties requires an understanding of genetic variation in key agronomic traits. This study aimed to evaluate the genetic diversity of selected upland cotton genotypes using statistical analysis. During the 2023 crop season, five cotton genotypes (Tipo-1, FH-Super, CIM-600 and FH-444) were evaluated in a field experiment laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with two replications. Data were recorded for yield related traits, including sympodial branches, monopodial branches, number of bolls per plant, plant height, seed cotton yield, seed index, boll weight, and ginning out turn percentage (GOT%). The results revealed that Tipo-1 X FH-444 showed the highest lint index, whereas FH-444 X Tipo-1 exhibited strong seed cotton yield. FH-Super X FH-Super and FH-Super X CIM-600 exhibited higher boll weight among genotypes.  The collected data were statistically analyzed through ANOVA and mean graphs to determine and visualize the significance of genetic variation among genotypes. These findings provide valuable insights for cotton breeders in identifying promising genotypes for future breeding programs.