Canopy Photosynthesis and Its Relationship to Plant Productivity in Near-Isogenic Cotton Lines Differing in Leaf Morphology

A 2-year study was conducted to determine the relationships between plant canopy photosynthesis, canopy light interception, and plant productivity of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) exhibiting differing leaf morphologies. The near-isogenic lines were from a single background (MD 65-11) and represented the leaf shapes Normal (small leaf lobing), Sub-Okra (intermediate leaf lobing), Okra (large leaf lobing), and Super Okra (severe leaf lobing). The F(1) of a cross Normal x Okra (intermediate leaf lobing) and the F(2) (segregating 1:2:1 for Normal Sub-Okra, and Okra, respectively) were also grown. Reduced plant canopies were produced by Okra and Super Okra lines, which translated into increased light penetration to the ground, and hence, in reduced canopy photosynthesis. Integrated canopy photosynthesis (ICAP) was significantly associated with light interception by the plant canopy. Part of the remaining variability in ICAP was associated with confounding factors associated with plant maturity and other unmeasured genotypic factors. Intermediate (F(1) and Sub-Okra) and normal leaf types displayed the largest ICAP values in both years. Lint production was positively related to ICAP (R(2) = 0.53). The combination of high ICAP values and competitive lint yields indicate that intermediate lobed leaf morphologies offer promise as productive sources of physiological variation for cotton germplasm development.