Despite its widespread occurrence, the genetics of fusarium wilt resistance in cotton has still not been clearly elucidated.

The cotton boll contains the seeds of the plant to which long, white fibres are attached. The cotton industry takes advantage of these fibres to spin yarns for textile production.

To achieve a greater understanding of the regulation of cotton fibre differentiation, more fundamental information is needed on the signals and mechanisms associated with fibre initiation.

Cotton fibres are differentiated single cells, originating from the epidermal layer of

the cotton ovule. Cotton fibre quality is determined by its length, strength and