Registration of 'NuMex COT 15 GLS' Glandless Cotton

The New Mexico Agricultural Experiment Station announces the release of 'NuMex COT 15 GLS' (Reg. CV-132, PI 678371), a glandless cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivar that carries the incomplete dominant glandless allele Gl(2)(e). NuMex COT 15 GLS was derived from an advanced backcross progeny of a cross between the Gl(2)(e) allele donor 'Bahtim 110' (G. barbadense) and glanded Upland cotton 'CRI 12', followed by five backcrosses with glanded Upland 'CRI 35' as the recurrent parent. In the advanced backcross population, the conventional NuMex COT 15 GLS was selected as a glandless progeny out of a mixture of glandless and glanded plants, followed by further testing for adventitious presence of genetically engineered biotech traits controlled by insect-resistant Bt gene(s) and herbicide-tolerant gene(s). This new cultivar was tested in four replicated field trials in New Mexico in 2013 to 2014 and in 11 tests across nine states in 2014. As compared to glandless 'Acala GLS', NuMex COT 15 GLS yielded 50% more lint, and it produced 90% of that of glanded 'Acala 1517-08'. Its fiber quality is classified as a medium to long staple with strong fiber strength and high uniformity, similar to other commercial medium staple cultivars, but it was inferior to both Acala cultivars. It had higher fiber elongation than most commercial cultivars tested in New Mexico. NuMex COT 15 GLS responded to thrips (Thrips or Frankliniella spp.) and Verticillium wilt (caused by Verticillium dahliae Kleb.) similarly to Acala 1517-08 and Acala GLS. The release of NuMex GLS represents the first glandless Upland cotton cultivar carrying the introgressed incomplete dominant glandless allele Gl(2)(e) from G. barbadense with acceptable yield and fiber quality traits in the United States.