Physical Characterization of Cottonseeds in Native Species (Gossypium spp.) From Mexico

The objective of this research was to do the physical characterization of cotton species (Gossypium spp.) based on the attributes of the seed. The experiment was performed at the Forage Biochemistry Laboratory of the Valle of Mexico Experiment Station, using seed of four cotton species (G. hirsutum, G. aridum, G. lobatum and G. shwendimanii). This research was carried out in two phases: in the first one, the weight of 1000 seeds and the hectolitre weight were determined. In the second one, seed dimensions were obtained by digital images and analysis process. The four cotton species were tested under a completely random experimental design. The data analysis was made by the variance analysis method, Tukey multiple comparison tests of means, principal components and cluster analysis. The results showed significant differences (0.01%) in all the physical characters of the seeds. Based on the grouping analyzes, three groups with contrasting characteristics among the cotton species were identified, being G. hirsutum, the species that presented the highest value in the vector magnitude of the physical characters of the cottonseed. The area, width and weight of 1000 seeds were the main variables that explained 98.6% of the variability existing in the characteristics of the seed, so these physical attributes play an important role in the characterization of the Gossypium native species of Mexico.