A major emphasis of the Pee Dee germplasm program has been the simultaneous improvement of lint yield and fiber strength. Progress in the elimination of the negative association between high lint yield and fiber strength has enabled the successful use of a simple breeding method of crossing commercial cultivars with improved PD germplasm lines and simultaneously selecting for high yield potential and extra-fiber strength. A testing procedure with multiple years of two planting dates (May 1 and June 1) was used for the evaluation of advanced generations of selected lines. This method enabled the selection of germplasm lines suited to full and/or short season production systems and efficiently increased the number of environments for testing yield stability. A weight-free index was used to rank the lines for multiple traits (lint yield, fiber strength, yarn strength). This method resulted in the development of germplasm lines superior or equal in both lint yield and fiber strength compared to the current cultivar PD-3. These germplasm lines should be excellent parents for the development of full and/or short season cultivars with high yield potential and fiber strength. These lines should also have a wide range of adaptability due to their broad genetic background.