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Abstract
Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is a globally important crop valued for both its lint fiber and seed, with significant economic impact in the United States. The Gossypium genus includes over fifty species, highlighting profound genetic diversity. Upland cotton, G. hirsutum, is the predominant species grown in the United States. In cotton breeding, phenotypic selection has heavily focused on traits like fiber quality and lint yield, which has led to a gradual decline in genetic diversity within cultivated gene pool. The decrease in genetic diversity has hampered breeding for disease resistance, emphasizing the need to incorporate diverse germplasm into breeding programs to maintain a robust cotton gene pool. This study evaluated a large diverse selection of germplasm for resistance to endemic diseases including fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum), target spot (Corynespora cassiicolla), and areolate mildew (Ramulariopsis spp.). Multi-year screening identified valuable sources of disease resistance among elite breeding lines, obsolete varieties, and wild accessions. The results from this study offer new knowledge about cotton germplasm regarding sources of disease resistance in cotton, providing cotton breeders tools to enhance cotton resilience, and discovering genes related to pathogen resistance.