Current status of genetic engineering in cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L): an assessment

Abstract

Cotton is considered as the foremost commercially important fiber crop and is deemed as the backbone of the textile industry. The productivity of cotton crop, worldwide, is severely hampered by the occurrence of pests, weeds, pathogens apart from various environmental factors. Several beneficial agronomic traits, viz., early maturity, improved fiber quality, heat tolerance, etc. have been successfully incorporated into cotton varieties employing conventional hybridization and mutation breeding. Crop losses, due to biotic factors, are substantial and may be reduced through certain crop protection strategies. In recent years, pioneering success has been achieved through the adoption of modern biotechnological approaches. Genetically engineered cotton varieties, expressing Bacillus thuringiensis cry genes, proved to be highly successful in controlling the bollworm complex. Various other candidate genes responsible for resistance to insect pests and pathogens, tolerance to major abiotic stress factors such as temperature, drought and salinity, have been introduced into cotton via genetic engineering methods to enhance the agronomic performance of cotton cultivars. Furthermore, genes for improving the seed oil quality and fiber characteristics have been identified and introduced into cotton cultivars. This review provides a brief overview of the various advancements made in cotton through genetic engineering approaches.

Transgenic Cotton Plants Expressing Cry1Ia12 Toxin Confer Resistance to Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) and Cotton Boll Weevil (Anthonomus grandis)

“…Cotton transformation methods normally use co-cultures with A. tumefaciens ( Guo et al, 2007 ) and microprojectile bombardment ( Aragão et al, 2005 ). It is well known that the transformation efficacy is affected by the plant material, genotype/variety, and type of explant ( Wilkins et al, 2004 ; Rao et al, 2009 ; Anami et al, 2013 ; Chakravarthy et al, 2014 ; Juturu et al, 2015 ).…”

Identification of QTLs and candidate genes for physiological traits associated with drought tolerance in cotton

“…Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is the main global crop for natural fiber production, a key raw material for textile industries and producer of edible oil for more than half the world's population (Chakravarthy et al 2012). Being a field crop, it is particularly susceptible to water stress, especially at the seedling stage (Argyrokastritis et al 2015).…”

Investigation of Amino Acids As Herbicides for Control of Orobanche minor Parasitism in Red Clover

“…Control strategies interfering with broomrape germination and radicle growth inhibit host infection and broomrape reproduction producing a decline in the parasitic seed bank while meeting short-term farming expectations of crop productivity (Fernández-Aparicio et al, 2016). Once the parasitic seedling has made contact with the host root surface, host resistance to parasite invasion either natural, genetically engineered or elicited by biotic- or abiotic-inducing agents leads to death of the invading parasite before it causes strong injury in the crop (Gonsior et al, 2004; Aly, 2007; Kusumoto et al, 2007). Once the parasite has established resource sink and the tubercle started to develop, the control of broomrape weeds can be achieved by using glyphosate and imidazolinone herbicides (Hershenhorn et al, 2009).…”