Cotton Genomics and Genetics 2025, Vol.16, No.1, 12-20 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/cgg 13 2 Overview of Abiotic Stresses in Cotton Cotton (Gossypiumspp.) is widely planted around the world, especially as a source of fiber. Its importance goes without saying. But then again, it is not easy to grow cotton - especially when facing the "face" of the natural environment. When drought comes, the land is dry; saline-alkali land prevents seeds from germinating; not to mention the extreme weather of hot and cold weather, any of which can reduce both yield and quality. Not all cotton-growing areas have the same problems. Some areas have prominent droughts, and some have high soil salinity, but no matter which one, it is not a trivial matter. Once the environment changes, the sensitive physiological reactions in cotton will be disrupted, and key functions such as photosynthesis and nutrient transport will be affected. In the end, not only will there be less cotton, but the fiber quality will not be high. So the focus of the problem now is not "whether there is stress" but "how to make cotton survive." The breeding road must continue, but the goal must be clear: not the higher the yield, the better, but to withstand these environmental tosses (Hassan et al., 2020; Patil et al., 2024). 2.1 Drought stress: physiological effects and crop losses Drought is one of the most common and most impactful problems for cotton. Insufficient water will cause cotton to grow poorly, and both yield and fiber quality will decrease. Insufficient water will cause many changes, such as reduced water content in the cotton body, poor photosynthesis, and increased protective substances such as proline and soluble sugars. Drought also increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the body, causing oxidative damage. If these reactive oxygen species are not removed, they may damage cell structure (Zhang et al., 2021b). The end result is a significant reduction in cotton yield, so drought-tolerant varieties must be bred as soon as possible (Figure 1) (Sadau et al., 2024). Figure 1 Advances and prospects on using DREB TFs for enhanced abiotic stress tolerance in transgenic cotton plants (Adopted from Sadau et al., 2024)
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