<p>The inheritance of the studied traits in cotton breeding studies directs the selection method, and it is crucial to identify suitable parents and promising hybrids to be transferred to the next generations. Ten F₂ hybrid populations generated by line × tester mating design were compared with their parents and F₁ hybrids for seed cotton yield per plant, ginning out-turn, fiber length, fiber fineness, and fiber strength. The general/specific combining ability variance ratio in F₁ and results of a minimum norm quadratic unbiased estimation indicated that the dominant gene effect for seed cotton yield, additive gene effect for ginning out-turn and fiber fineness, both dominant and additive gene effects for fiber length and fiber strength were greater. Significant correlation coefficients between F₁ and F₂ hybrid performance and general combining ability effects for ginning our-turn and fiber length confirmed additive gene effects in the control of these traits. Although F₂ populations were higher than their parents and lower than F₁ populations regarding seed cotton yield and fiber strength, F₂ populations had the finest fibers. As a result of the combined evaluation of average performance, general combining ability effects, and predicted additive effects for parents, Fiona and Gloria for ginning out-turn, İpek-607 for fiber length, Özbek-100 for fiber fineness, and Flash for fiber strength were the best combiners. Claudia × Özbek-100 was determined as the most promising F₁ hybrid combination for both hybrid variety breeding and transfer to the next generations in terms of all traits. Gloria × Flash, Claudia × Özbek-100, and Gloria × Özbek-100 hybrid combinations within the F₂ populations should be transferred to the next generations by applying the bulk method.</p>