Seed germination is the basis for the proliferation of sexual-reproducing plants, efficient crop production, and a successful crop improvement research program. Cotton (Gossypium spp.), the subject of this review, can be often sensitive to germination conditions. The hardness of the cotton seed coat, storage, extreme temperatures, and dormancy are some of the factors that can influence cotton seed germination. Research programs conducting studies on exotic and wild cotton species are especially affected by those hurdles. Here, we briefly review the challenges of cotton seed germination and some of the approaches our cotton breeding program explored throughout the years.

Cotton breeding progress stagnation, changing production conditions, and continued high fiber quality demands are challenging the cotton industry in Burkina Faso. The F₁ populations developed by half diallel crosses between germplasm from Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Burkina Faso were evaluated for several agronomic traits. The aim was to identify the most promising parents and hybrids for further varietal improvement. Three AgriLife parents helped improve the most important targeted traits. Parent 15-3-416 reduced days to 50% flowering (−3.14 days) and shortened plant height (−22.25 cm) in hybrids while 16-2-216FQ improved their fiber percentage (+2.68%). Hybrids with Burkina Faso elite cultivar E32 as male parent and the three best AgriLife parents as the females showed good specific combining ability (SCA). FK37 × 15-10-610-7 and FK64 × 15-10-610-7 showed heterosis for earliness by reducing, respectively, days to 50% flowering (−4.27 days) or days to 50% boll opening (−3.95 days) below parent means. E32 × 16-2-216FQ and FK64 × 16-2-216FQ increased fiber percentage by +1.75% and +2.06%, respectively. FK64 × 15-3-416 increased seed index (SI) (+0.62 g) and fiber percentage (+1.19%), while maintaining other traits at the parents’ average levels. E32 × 15-3-416 showed the most heterosis for desired improvements, reducing days to 50% flowering (−4) and increasing the number of bolls/vegetative branch (+3.05), number of bolls/fruiting branch (+6.38), number of bolls/plant (+13.49), boll weight (+1.53 g), SI (+0.40 g), and fiber percentage (+1.18%). Inter-program crosses show the potential to enhance genetic diversity in Burkina Faso’s breeding program. Subsequent selection methods must be carefully applied considering the Burkina Faso breeding objectives for future cultivars.

The market value of cotton in exporting countries, such as Burkina Faso, depends on the quality of major fiber properties. A lack of variation among the genetic resources available in Burkina Faso hinders breeding progress to meet fiber quality demands in future cultivars. F₁ populations from a half diallel crossing scheme between lines developed at Texas A&M AgriLife cotton breeding program at Lubbock and germplasm accessed from Burkina Faso were evaluated for fiber property enhancement. Crosses exclusively within common origin materials did not result in highly enhanced hybrids. Hybrids within American materials expressed significant SCA effects undesirable for future cultivars in Burkina Faso. Five hybrids within the Burkina Faso material expressed significant SCA effects: two of them implicating FK37 as the better parent in transmitting superior targeted fiber traits to its progenies. Hybrid FK37xE9 significantly enhanced UHML, Str, UI and SFI but not Mic and Rd. Inter-program hybrids with at least one significant SCA effect were crosses with female American lines and male Burkina Faso parents. Hybrids E53x16-2-216FQ, E53x15-10-610-7 and E32x15-10-610-7 showed significantly improved Str and UI for the most economically important traits, which also include Mic, UHML, SFI, Rd and +b. Together, the GCA and SCA effects, heritability and correlations showed more additive than non-additive gene actions. Therefore, knowledge of the best combiners and hybrids could be used in the cultivar development process to enhance value with improved fiber characteristics.