Abstract

The relation of branching habit to economic characters in Cotton has been the subject of study by many workers. Prominent among characters investigated in this connection are earliness (Leake 1914), shedding (Cook 1911, Harland 1917) and yield per plant (Burt 1919, Cook 1911, Patel 1921 and Kottur 1920). Besides such economic relationships. the genetic behaviour has also been studied. The habit of the plant and the production of basal monopodia have been found more or less, heritable in a number of American and Indian types as the Cawnpores (Leake 1914), Kumptas (Kottur 1920) Gujerats (Patel 1921), Cawnpore-Americans (Burt 1919) and Americans. There is however evidence from other sources to show that considerable environmental modification occurs (Hudson 1920) which can even have large economic significances (Cook 1911). Of particular interest in plant breeding is the evolution of special types associated with good vields. Many workers (Cook, Leake, Kottur loc. cit.) prefer a purely sympodial habit in the plants as more of these could be grown per acre to give higher yields. It should however be mentioned that part of the above behaviour is dependent on the variety of cotton examined. The results of such a study on a type of G. indicum, which, along with a variable mixture of G. herbaceum, forms the commercial "Northerns" crop of this Presidency is presented in this paper.

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