COLLECTION, FIBER COLOR CHARACTERIZATION AND GERMPLASM CONSERVATION OF NATIVE COTTON Gossypium barbadense L. IN PERU

Cotton is an important fiber crop, with special significance in the historical, cultural, and socioeconomic development of the planet. In Peru, the great color variability of cotton fibers has allowed the commercialization of numerous textile products throughout the centuries. At present, cotton species native to South America, such as Gossypium barbadense, are constantly threatened by anthropogenic factors, and thus there is a clear need for species conservation. Therefore, this study aimed to collect G. barbadense germplasm in Peru, characterize the germplasm by fiber color, and evaluate the application of different methods of germplasm conservation. The evaluated methods were seed bank, field techniques, and in vitro culture. Two hundred seventy-six samples of G. barbadense were collected between 2017 and 2021 and classified by fiber color into monochrome and polychrome of white (114 samples), orange (107) and brown (41). The conservation methods showed that the seed bank samples ranged from 50 g to 1 kg, while 95% of the field accessions survived. In addition, seedlings presented positive developmental responses when they were grown in vitro under modified MS culture, sucrose 2.0%, vitamins, glycine 2.0 mgL^-1 and AgNO₃ 2.0 mg L^-1. This study provides evidence of the color variability of G. barbadense distributed throughout Peru, and confirms that this species can be managed and conserved using germplasm conservation methods.