Narrative
UA248 is a conventional cotton cultivar with morphological traits similar to ‘DP 393’ and ‘UA48’ (check cultivars), except UA248 is taller and has lower trichome density on bract margins than either cultivar. Data from replicated field tests at four sites in Arkansas over five years indicated that lint yields of UA248 were equal to lint yields of DP393 at each location, but were 13.3, 10.3, 12.5, and 9.7% higher than UA48 at Keiser (north), Judd Hill (north), Marianna (central delta) and Rohwer (south), respectively. Soils at all sites are silt loams, except the Sharkey clay at Keiser. Compared to DP 393, lint yields of UA248 were produced with equal number of seeds per area, seed index, lint fraction, and fiber density (estimated number of fibers per unit area of seed surface), but higher weight of lint per seed (lint index) per seed. Compared to UA48, UA248 produced higher plant height (103 vs, 96 cm), lint percentage (40.1 vs 37.8%), seed ha-1 (16.312 × 106 vs 14.985 × 106), lint index (7.7 vs. 7.5 g), fibers per seed (15819 vs. 13679), fiber density (144 vs 119 fibers mm-2 of seed coat), fiber elongation (6.9 vs. 4.5%) and leaf pubescence rating (3.5 vs 2.4); equal quality score, fiber uniformity index, and stem pubescence; and lower seed index (11.3 vs. 12.1 g), marginal bract trichome density (26.4 vs. 28.9 trichomes cm-1), fiber micronaire (4.54 vs. 4.94) and fiber strength (323 vs 356 kN m kg-1. UA248 is resistance to all U.S. races of Xanthomonas citri ssp. malvacearum (ex Smith 1901) Schaad et al. 2007, the causal agent of bacterial blight. Damaged flowers for UA248 (63%) was lower than UA48 (66%) and higher than DP 393 (60%) in tests of resistance to tarnished plant bug [Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois)]. As indicated by lint yield at Judd Hill location (site of high Verticillium wilt), response of UA248 to Verticillium wilt [caused by Verticillium dahliae Kleb] was equal to DP 393 and more tolerant than UA48. Note: Plants, from which seed were produced, were evaluated and determined to be free of Bt (BG1 and BGII) and RR Flex transgenes.