In three field experiments, carried out at Cambará-PR and Londrina-PR in the crop year 2011/12 and at Piracicaba-SP in 2012/13, and under natural incidence of the pathogen, 12 cotton genotypes were evaluated for their reaction to the incidence of Alternaria leaf spot (Alternaria macrospora). Highly significant differences among genotypes were observed at all three localities, allowing the establishment of three, four and six groups of reaction to the disease, according to the considered environment. At the extreme positions, and without great changes in their performance, the group of most resistant genotypes included IAC 08-2031, FMT 709 and BRS 336, and the group of most susceptible genotypes, FMT 705, IMA CD 08-12427 and DP 555 BG RR. Considering the intermediate groups, some inconsistencies were observed for certain genotypes, which explains the significant interaction genotypes x localities. However, as the less satisfactory performance occurred at the locality where the disease occurred at higher intensity, such interaction may translate only the phenotypic instability of the resistance to the pathogen for the involved genotypes.
Gossypium hirsutum L.; Alternaria macrospora; genetic resistance
