AAB Bioflux, 2010, Volume 2, Issue 1. http://www.aab.bioflux.com.ro 61 AAB BIOFLUX Advances in Agriculture & Botanics- International Journal of the Bioflux Society Comparative agronomic evaluation of different cotton varieties under desert climate Mueen A. Khan, Syed A. H. Bukhari, Muhammad Nafees, Muhammad Iqbal, and Moazzam Jamil College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Corresponding author: M. A. Khan, mueen_1981@yahoo.com Abstract. Different cotton varieties were evaluated on the basis of there agronomic performance at Bahawalpur, a desert region of Pakistan. Significant difference among varieties for plant height, number of leaves, number of opened bolls, boll weight and seed cotton yield was found. Boll weight was maximum for NIAB-111(3.31g), while CIM-496 had higher plant height, number of leaves, number of opened bolls and seed cotton yield as compared to other varieties. Similarly cotton varieties CIM-496, NIAB-111, BH-160 and CIM-534 were statistically better yielder giving 124.50g, 114.8g, 99.62g and 98.63g seed cotton yield per plant respectively as compared to CIM-507 (77.00g/plant) and CIM-506 (67.72g/plant) varieties. Therefore the better yielding varieties are recommended to be grown desert region. Key Words: agronomic traits, Gossypium hirsutum, yield. Introduction. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is the most important cash and fiber crop and plays an important role in economy of Pakistan, not only by providing the raw material to the entire textile industry but also earning valuable foreign exchange which is needed for the development of the country (Memon et al 2007). But in Pakistan the yield is low as compared to other major cotton growing countries of the world. Though a number of new cotton varieties are being introduced for general cultivation, yet their performance need to be evaluated in different cotton growing regions. Muhammad (2001) reported variability among various genotypes of cotton for environmental adoptability for yield, lint percentage and fiber quality. Moser et al (2000) noted variation in lint percentage, boll weight and maturity in different cotton strains. Ji et al (2000) characterized the high yielder varieties as strong boll setting capability (over 40%), medium boll weight (4-4.5g) and high lint percentage (over 40%). Similarly, Kalsy & Grag (1989) observed that yield has direct correlation with boll number. Tuteja et al (2006) in their detailed investigation about the different characters towards the seed cotton yield, revealed that plant height and number of bolls per plant exhibited significant positive association with seed cotton yield. No study has been reported about comparison of agronomic traits of different cotton varieties in Bahawalpur area that comes under arid and semi arid climate. Keeping in view the importance of high yielding varieties in bridging the gap, the present investigation was undertaken employing six varieties for their agronomic performance. This study will be helpful in future programs for cotton improvement with special reference to agronomic traits. Material and Method. The study was conducted during cotton season 2008-2009 at the farm area of College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur. Six cotton varieties i.e., CIM-506, CIM-507, CIM-534, NIAB-111, CIM-496 and BH-160 were tested for their yield. The experiment was Randomized Complete Block with four replications. Sowing was done on May 3 rd , 2008. The size of plot was 4.5m x