Heat Stress in Cotton: A Review on Predicted and Unpredicted Growth-Yield Anomalies and Mitigating Breeding Strategies

Abstract

The demand for cotton fibres is increasing due to growing global population while its production is facing challenges from an unpredictable rise in temperature owing to rapidly changing climatic conditions. High temperature stress is a major stumbling block relative to agricultural production around the world. Therefore, the development of thermo-stable cotton cultivars is gaining popularity. Understanding the effects of heat stress on various stages of plant growth and development and its tolerance mechanism is a prerequisite for initiating cotton breeding programs to sustain lint yield without compromising its quality under high temperature stress conditions. Thus, cotton breeders should consider all possible options, such as developing superior cultivars through traditional breeding, utilizing molecular markers and transgenic technologies, or using genome editing techniques to obtain desired features. Therefore, this review article discusses the likely effects of heat stress on cotton plants, tolerance mechanisms, and possible breeding strategies.

Nanopore-Based Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Potential Mechanism of High-Temperature Tolerance in Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

“…High temperature can seriously prohibit photosynthesis in plants by reducing the photosynthetic rate [40] and damaging the thylakoid membrane [41]. These proteins are also light-harvesting complexes and are found in the thylakoid membrane [42].…”

Progress and perspective on cotton breeding in Pakistan

“…For instance, the NIAB-999, NIAB-111, NIAB-777, CIM-240, CIM-598, and CIM-602 showed better adoptability to heat stress (Table 1). The identification of heat tolerance candidate genes coupled with target genome editing is an important strategy to create heat resilient cotton (Majeed et al 2021). Cotton's vertical taproot system makes it extremely resistant to drought.…”

Inter-Specific Hybridization in Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) for Crop Improvement

“…Lint percent, which is a component of lint output, was probably one of the first qualities to be chosen throughout the domestication process and in early breeding, and is still the most desired character [23,[42][43][44][45][46]. Environmental stability [47,48] and early maturity [49][50][51] are two more agronomic features that have risen in relevance [37]. Despite the fact that the advent of transgenic Bt cultivars has shifted the attention away from insect resistance, host-plant resistance remains significant for a variety of diseases and nematodes.…”