Productivity and tobacco budworm resistance of cotton developed between 1890 and 1986

There is a paucity of information on the relationships between modern (i.e., released in or after 1978) and historically obsolete cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars with respect to their ability to yield when grown in the presence of high levels of tobacco budworm (TBW), Heliothis virescens F. The objective of this study was to compare 18 cultivars of cotton developed between 1890 and 1986 for ability to yield when grown with and without TBW infestations. This comparison was accomplished by growing cultivars for 2 yr under two regimes: (i) artificial infestation with TBW (w/TBW) and (ii) complete control of all insect pest (w/o TBW)