Interactions between Verticillium dahliae and cotton: pathogenic mechanism and cotton resistance mechanism to Verticillium wilt

Abstract

Cotton is widely grown in many countries around the world due to the huge economic value of the total natural fiber. Verticillium wilt, caused by the soil-borne pathogen Verticillium dahliae, is the most devastating disease that led to extensive yield losses and fiber quality reduction in cotton crops. Developing resistant cotton varieties through genetic engineering is an effective, economical, and durable strategy to control Verticillium wilt. However, there are few resistance gene resources in the currently planted cotton varieties, which has brought great challenges and difficulties for breeding through genetic engineering. Further revealing the molecular mechanism between V. dahliae and cotton interaction is crucial to discovering genes related to disease resistance. In this review, we elaborated on the pathogenic mechanism of V. dahliae and the resistance mechanism of cotton to Verticillium wilt. V. dahliae has evolved complex mechanisms to achieve pathogenicity in cotton, mainly including five aspects: (1) germination and growth of microsclerotia; (2) infection and successful colonization; (3) adaptation to the nutrient-deficient environment and competition of nutrients; (4) suppression and manipulation of cotton immune responses; (5) rapid reproduction and secretion of toxins. Cotton has evolved multiple physiological and biochemical responses to cope with V. dahliae infection, including modification of tissue structures, accumulation of antifungal substances, homeostasis of reactive oxygen species (ROS), induction of Ca2+ signaling, the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades, hormone signaling, and PAMPs/effectors-triggered immune response (PTI/ETI). This review will provide an important reference for the breeding of new cotton germplasm resistant to Verticillium wilt through genetic engineering.

Optimization of the fermentation media and growth conditions of Bacillus velezensis BHZ-29 using a Plackett–Burman design experiment combined with response surface methodology

“…Xinjiang is the largest cotton production base in China, and cotton Verticillium wilt is one of the most important diseases affecting the Xinjiang cotton industry ( Xue et al, 2013 ). Due to perennial continuous cropping, the return of cotton stalks to the field, poor disease resistance, and other unfavorable factors, the occurrence of cotton Verticillium wilt in Xinjiang is becoming increasingly serious ( Liu et al, 2015a , b ), resulting in huge economic losses ( Zhu et al, 2023 ). Biological control has become a hot spot in cotton Verticillium wilt research because of its advantages of producing no pollution or residues, not harming humans and livestock, and the lack of resistance to pathogenic bacteria ( Liu J. et al, 2023 ; Liu L. et al, 2023 ).…”

Insights into the biocontrol and plant growth promotion functions of Bacillus altitudinis strain KRS010 against Verticillium dahliae

“…In recent years, plant Verticillium wilt has become increasingly serious due to climatic variation, long-term monoculture, and frequent introduction of new cotton varieties/hybrids in various countries and regions in the world [ 7 ]. In addition, due to the stable dormant structure microsclerotia, long-term variability, and coevolution with host plants, it is still challenging to control the spread of V. dahliae [ 8 ].…”

Unravelling the Functional Role of GthGAPC2 in Cotton's Defense Against Verticillium dahliae through Proteome

“…Cultivated across more than 80 countries, approximately 30 of these nations consider cotton a commercially predominant crop (Abdelraheem et al, 2019). According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the aggregated global cotton production for the 2022–2023 period reached 25.343 million tons (Zhu et al, 2023). China emerged as the primary raw cotton producer, with a production volume of 6.1 million tons, followed by India, the USA, Brazil, and Pakistan, contributing 5.99, 3.06, 2.83, and 0.98 million tons, respectively.…”

“…China emerged as the primary raw cotton producer, with a production volume of 6.1 million tons, followed by India, the USA, Brazil, and Pakistan, contributing 5.99, 3.06, 2.83, and 0.98 million tons, respectively. The cotton genera, Gossypium spp., encompass 45 diploid species (2n = 2x = 26) and seven tetraploid species (2n = 4x = 52) (Zhu et al, 2023).…”

“…Notably, Verticillium dahliae , identified as the cancer of cotton crops, stands out as the most destructive disease due to its widespread prevalence and potent pathogenicity under favorable conditions (Umer et al, 2023). In 2021, the impact of V. dahliae on cotton crops in China resulted in losses amounting to 32.49% of the overall losses attributed to various diseases (Zhu et al, 2023). Despite considerable efforts in traditional breeding to develop wilt‐resistant cotton cultivars, only a limited number of varieties have shown resistance to the wilt in Gossypium hirsutum , which is the predominant cotton species currently grown worldwide (Baran et al, 2022; Yang et al, 2023; Zhu et al, 2023).…”