Recent progression and future perspectives in cotton genomic breeding

Abstract

Upland cotton is an important global cash crop for its long seed fibers and high edible oil and protein content. Progress in cotton genomics promotes the advancement of cotton genetics, evolutionary studies, functional genetics, and breeding, and has ushered cotton research and breeding into a new era. Here, we summarize high‐impact genomics studies for cotton from the last 10 years. The diploid Gossypium arboreum and allotetraploid Gossypium hirsutum are the main focus of most genetic and genomic studies. We next review recent progress in cotton molecular biology and genetics, which builds on cotton genome sequencing efforts, population studies, and functional genomics, to provide insights into the mechanisms shaping abiotic and biotic stress tolerance, plant architecture, seed oil content, and fiber development. We also suggest the application of novel technologies and strategies to facilitate genome‐based crop breeding. Explosive growth in the amount of novel genomic data, identified genes, gene modules, and pathways is now enabling researchers to utilize multidisciplinary genomics‐enabled breeding strategies to cultivate “super cotton”, synergistically improving multiple traits. These strategies must rise to meet urgent demands for a sustainable cotton industry.

Transcriptome Profiling of Gossypium anomalum Seedlings Reveals Key Regulators and Metabolic Pathways in Response to Drought Stress

“…Broadly speaking, plant hormones regulate stress-mediated signaling pathways in plant adaptation to abiotic stress [ 36 ]. Concerning drought stress in particular, the abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway is known to play a central role and regulate the transcription of MAPK genes [ 17 ]. Previous studies have illustrated that drought significantly increases the expression of ABA-mediated genes in cotton [ 37 ].…”

“…Cotton ( Gossypium spp.) is cultivated worldwide and constitutes the preeminent source of natural fibers for the textile industry [ 17 ]. The domesticated allotetraploid species Gossypium hirsutum L. (2n = 4x = 52, (AD) 1 ), commonly known as upland cotton, is responsible for ~90% of the world’s annual cotton production on account of its relatively high yield potential and moderate fiber quality [ 18 ].…”

Genome-wide association analysis reveals a novel pathway mediated by a dual-TIR domain protein for pathogen resistance in cotton

“…Importantly, overexpression of GhRVD1_R not only conferred VW resistance to transgenic cotton, but it also affected the plant architecture. In Xinjiang—the largest cotton production area in the world, both dwarfism and VW resistance germplasm resources are urgently needed to improve crops [ 63 ]. The overexpression lines we created address these issues and are expected to contribute to the cultivation of novel cotton varieties.…”

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

“…Two diploid species Gossypium herbaceum (Levant or Arabian cotton) and Gossypium arboreum (Desi cotton) and two allotetraploid species Gossypium barbadense (Sea Island cotton) and Gossypium hirsutum (Upland cotton) are cultivated globally (Egan and Stiller, 2022). Among them, G. hirsutum is the most widespread and encompasses 95% of global cotton production and is also the main target of cotton breeding (Baran et al, 2022;Yang et al, 2022).…”