Environmental factors are the major constraints in sustainable agriculture. WRKY proteins are a large family of transcription factors (TFs) that regulate various developmental processes and stress responses in plants, including cotton. On the basis of Gossypium raimondii genome sequencing, WRKY TFs have been identified in cotton and characterized for their functions in abiotic stress responses. WRKY members of cotton play a significant role in the regulation of abiotic stresses, i.e., drought, salt, and extreme temperatures. These TFs either activate or repress various signaling pathways such as abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), and the scavenging of reactive oxygen species. WRKY-associated genes in cotton have been genetically engineered in Arabidopsis, Nicotiana, and Gossypium successfully, which subsequently enhanced tolerance in corresponding plants against abiotic stresses. Although a few review reports are available for WRKY TFs, there is no critical report available on the WRKY TFs of cotton. Hereby, the role of cotton WRKY TFs in environmental stress responses is studied to enhance the understanding of abiotic stress response and further improve in cotton plants.

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Thermosetting resins are used in many applications due to their great mechanical properties, chemical resistance, and dimensional stability. However, the flammability of thermosets needs to be improved to minimize fire risk and meet fire safety regulations. Some commercially available flame retardants have an adverse effect on people’s health and the environment. Thus, the development of novel, more sustainable flame retardants obtained or derived from biomass has become an objective of contemporary research. The objective of this study is to summarize recent progress on bio-based flame retardants for thermosetting resins so as to promote their prompt development. Groups of biomass compounds with a potential for flame retardant industrial applications were introduced, and their thermal degradation was investigated. The authors focused mostly on the thermal degradation of composites containing bio-based flame retardants determined by thermogravimetric analysis, their tendency to sustain a flame determined by a limiting oxygen index, and fire behavior determined by a cone calorimeter test. The results showed that the mode of action is mostly based on the forming of the char layer. However, in many cases, there is still a necessity to input a high amount of additive to achieve significant flame retardancy effects, which may adversely impact mechanical properties.

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