The resilient cotton plant: uncovering the effects of stresses on secondary metabolomics and its underlying molecular mechanisms

Cotton is an important fiber crop cultivated around the world under diverse climate conditions and generates billions of dollars in annual revenue globally. Biotic and abiotic stresses have caused reduction in yield and productivity of cotton crops. In this review, we comprehensively analyzed and summarized the effect of biotic and abiotic stress on secondary metabolite production in cotton. The development of cotton varieties with improved tolerance against abiotic and biotic stress can play an important role in sustainable cotton production. Under stress conditions, plants develop a variety of defense mechanisms such as initiating signaling functions to upregulate defense responsive genes and accumulation of secondary metabolites. Understanding the impact of stress on secondary metabolite production in cotton is crucial for developing strategies to alleviate the negative effects of stress on crop yield and quality. Further, the potential industrial applications of these secondary metabolites in cotton, such as gossypol, could provide new opportunities for sustainable cotton production and the development of value-added products. Additionally, transgenic and genome-edited cotton cultivars can be developed to provide tolerance to both abiotic and biotic stress in cotton production.

Automated summary

Cotton is a globally cultivated fiber crop with significant economic value, but the productivity and yield are negatively affected by biotic and abiotic stresses. This review comprehensively analyzes the impact of these stresses on secondary metabolite production in cotton and emphasizes the importance of developing stress-tolerant cotton varieties for sustainable production. Plants under stress conditions employ defense mechanisms, including upregulating defense genes and accumulating secondary metabolites, which can be harnessed to alleviate the negative effects on crop yield and quality. Furthermore, the utilization of secondary metabolites, such as gossypol, in cotton for industrial applications presents new opportunities for sustainable cotton production and value-added products. Transgenic and genome-edited cotton cultivars can also be developed to provide tolerance against both biotic and abiotic stress in cotton production.