Analysis Of Major Agronomic Traits Of Cotton Varieties And Molecular Design Breeding In Xinjiang

Xinjiang "Analysis of major agronomic traits of cotton varieties and molecular design breeding" was informed at the 2024 annual summary meeting that Xinjiang cotton molecular breeding project has made key progress in genome analysis, breeding technology optimization and new germplasm creation, which means that Xinjiang cotton biological breeding technology has made a key breakthrough.

The project team systematically analyzed the high-quality T2T (chromosome telomere to telomere) genome of Yuanmian 8, a national, autonomous region and corps leading variety, and constructed a high-precision genetic map containing 320 million base pairs. Through comparative analysis, 12 key gene regions related to disease resistance and high lint percentage (cotton fiber proportion) were identified, of which 2 regions were first found in Xinjiang cotton varieties.

In view of the low efficiency of genetic transformation of major cotton varieties in Xinjiang, the project team has established a technical system for genetic transformation and gene editing of major varieties such as Yuanmian 8, to provide biological breeding technology support for targeted, efficient and rapid improvement of cotton; At the same time, a graph neural network framework CSGDN was developed, which provides an accurate prediction tool for efficient evaluation of the positive and negative relationship between genes and traits. The tool has been applied to gene screening for herbicide resistance, verticillium wilt resistance and other traits, reducing the time cost of phenotypic verification in traditional breeding.

The project team also used molecular marker assisted selection technology to introduce verticillium wilt resistance, herbicide resistance and other genes into Yuanmian 8 to create new resistant improved germplasm, providing germplasm resources support for precise improvement of major varieties.

Li Xueyuan, a researcher of the Cotton Research Institute of the Autonomous Region Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the chief scientist of the autonomous region's cotton industry technology system, said that this is the first time to conduct a complete genome analysis of Xinjiang's main cotton varieties, which is equivalent to drawing a "gene map". This achievement can help researchers more accurately screen and design excellent gene combinations, It will lay a foundation for Xinjiang to cultivate breakthrough cotton varieties with excellent comprehensive performance.

It is reported that the "Analysis and Molecular Design Breeding of Major Agronomic Traits of Cotton Varieties" project will be launched in June 2024, with an investment of 15 million yuan and a duration of three years. The project aims to analyze the genetic basis of major cotton varieties in Xinjiang, identify the regulatory loci of excellent cotton traits, and establish efficient genetic transformation and gene editing technology with major varieties as receptors, Through molecular marker assisted selection, efficient genetic transformation and gene editing techniques, we can achieve the convergence of heterosis among backbone parents, and create a batch of new germplasm with excellent comprehensive characteristics.