Exploiting genetic diversity in enhancing phenotypic plasticity to develop climate-resilient cotton

Larger emissions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and climatic variability are the primary constraints responsible for biotic and abiotic stresses. Whilst, in cotton germplasm resources, beneficial alleles have the potential if exploit in developing climate-resilient cultivars which are well-adapted to environmental conditions. Thus, the utilization of variability among Gossypium species upsurges the possibility of long-term persistence of cotton crop. The narrow genetic base of modern cultivars poses a major challenge to crop improvement and utilizing crop wild relatives is one of the most promising approach to widen the genetic diversity among cultivars. This review article meets the status of genetic diversity of Gossypium species, with an exploration of crop wild relatives as a potential source to improve tolerance against biotic and abiotic stresses. We summarized the current breakthrough in the field of genomics and phenomics platforms and discussed the utilization of recent reference genomes of cotton and assemblies of its wild relatives. Moreover, elaborated the computational means of information to further exploitation of wild resources and cultivated species in the next generation editing tools. We foresee that the integrated use of various technologies will be crucial for cotton improvement in current climate change scenarios. Thus, breeders can use the rich diversity from landraces and the cultivated cotton species to prioritize the selection of agronomically important traits.

Automated summary

Greater emissions of greenhouse gases and climate variability are primary constraints in causing biotic and abiotic stresses. Utilizing genetic diversity among Gossypium species is crucial for the long-term persistence of cotton crops, and utilizing crop wild relatives can help overcome the narrow genetic base of modern cultivars. This review article explores how crop wild relatives can improve tolerance against stresses and discusses the integration of genomic and phenomic platforms for cotton improvement.