Contents

#### **Preface XI**



Preface

century.

Being a golden reservoir and fulcrum for biodiversity of useful genes, plant germ‐ plasm resources, already conserved *in situ* at the centers of origin and *ex situ* in worldwide plant germplasm collections, are the vital natural resources of earth to provide growing human population with enough food and nutrients, feed, medici‐ nal compounds, clothes, etc. Plant germplasm resources are the basic foundation of plant research to safeguard agriculture from biotic (phytopathogens, pests, and in‐ vasive species) and deteriorating abiotic threats (drought and salinity including global climate change) in the globalization and technological advances of the 21st

Therefore, understanding the importance of exploration, collection, preservation, storage, maintenance, and propagation of plant germplasm resources are the key tasks and obligations of mankind in the front of future generations. Further, evalu‐ ation, characterization, description, exploitation and sharing of available germ‐ plasm resources and collections are the stepping stones to provide sustainable agriculture for food and product security. Understanding this, mankind historical‐ ly paid a great attention and has collected and preserved a wealth of available ge‐ netic resources of many plant species worldwide. One of such worldwide plant germplasm resources is available for cotton, which we addressed in this book.

The cultivated *Gossypium spp* . (cotton) is a unique natural fiber producing cash crop for mankind. Besides its fiber, cotton plants provide human livelihoods and animal livestock with the oil and protein portion of the cottonseed – a potential raw material source for alternative bioenergy. The worldwide economic impact of the cotton industry is estimated to ~\$500 billion/yr with an annual utilization of ~115-million bales or ~27-million metric tons of cotton fiber. Such economically val‐ uable cotton crop (*Gossypium* genus) includes approximately 45 diploid and 5 allo‐ tetraploid species that are largely spread in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Diploid cottons, referred as Old World cottons, are classified into eight cy‐ togenetically defined genome groups that have African/Asian, American, and Aus‐ tralian origin. Hybridization between diploid Asian cottons (A-genome) and diploid American cottons (D-genome) and subsequent polyploidization about 1.5 million years ago in American continent created the five AD allotetraploid lineages that include the commercially important widely grown coarse fibered (also called Acala or Upland, short stapled, Mocó, and Cambodia cotton) and silk fibered (also called long staple fibered Pima, Sea Island or Egyptian cotton) cotton species.

#### Chapter 10 **Cytogenetic Collection of Uzbekistan 247** Marina Sanamyan, Julia Petlyakova, Emma Rakhmatullina and Elnora Sharipova

#### Chapter 11 **Cotton Germplasm Collection of Uzbekistan 289**

Ibrokhim Y. Abdurakhmonov, Alisher Abdullaev, Zabardast Buriev, Shukhrat Shermatov, Fahriddin N. Kushanov, Abdusalom Makamov, Umid Shapulatov, Sharof S. Egamberdiev, Ilkhom B. Salakhutdinov, Mirzakamol Ayubov, Mukhtor Darmanov, Azoda T. Adylova, Sofiya M. Rizaeva, Fayzulla Abdullaev, Shadman Namazov, Malohat Khalikova, Hakimjon Saydaliev, Viktor A. Avtonomov, Marina Snamyan, Tillaboy K. Duiesenov, Jura Musaev, Abdumavlyan A. Abdullaev and Abdusattor Abdukarimov
