Molecular monitoring of the introgression in Gossypium hirsutum L. of G. sturtanium Willis genes controlling the "glanded-plant and glandless-seed" trait

One hundred mapped micro-satellites markers located on the chromosomes of subgenome Ah were used to monitor the introgression of DNA fragments coming from the Australian species G. sturtianum Willis in BC1, BC2, BC2S1, BC2S2, BC2S3, BC3, BC3S1 and BC3S2 obtained from the G. hirsutum L. x G. raimondii Ulb. x G. sturtianum (HRS) trispecific hybrid. In these plants, the inhibition of the gossypol synthesis only in the seed seems to be linked to the substitution of fragments of linkage groups C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7 and C9 of G. hirsutum by homeologous segments of G. sturtianum chromosomes. The prospect to use these genetic stocks to develop commercial varieties is discussed according to the putative genetic determinism of the “low-gossypol seed and high-gossypol plant”-trait.