Reduced crop productivity caused by water deficit conditions due to erratic rainfall and rising temperature is a crucial concern. The presented study aimed at determining the potential yield of 14 upland cotton lines and cultivars (T-1001, T-860, T-1033, T-1037, T-1002, T-1003, T-1005, T-1048, T-1024, T-1050, Guliston, C-6524, T-1023, and T-1068), carried out during the crop season of 2023–2024. The research used a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications under optimal and water deficit conditions. Most drought indices showed significant variations among the cotton genotypes. The ranking method indicated that indices, i.e., mean productivity (MP), geometric mean productivity (GMP), stress tolerance index (STI), mean relative performance (MRP), relative efficiency index (REI), and relative drought index (RDY), proved correlated with seed cotton yield. Cluster analysis and three-dimensional plots identified the cotton lines with the highest drought resistance. Principal component analysis (PCA) explained 84.09% of the variation, with the PC1 suggesting consistent yield potential. The biplot showed MP, GMP, STI, MRP, REI, and YI were the best indices for selecting drought-tolerant lines, viz., T-1005, T-1002, T-1003, and T-1050. These cotton genotypes can be effective as base material in breeding drought-tolerant cotton cultivars.
Upland cotton (G. hirsutum L.), multivariate analysis, drought tolerance indices, water deficit conditions, cluster analysis, principal component, correlation, seed cotton yield
The optimal irrigation and water stress conditions negatively affected the yield-related traits in upland cotton. The cotton lines T-1005, T-1002, T-1003, T-1024 and T-1050 appeared more stable and performed better for various yield-attributing variables under optimal and water deficit conditions.