Genetic engineering of cotton: current status and perspectives

Abstract

Currently, several species of the genus Gossypium are cultivated to produce fiber. Cotton has been grown for a long time, however, many aspects of its cultivation and processing are still researched. When talking about the agronomy of cotton, some fundamental problems should be mentioned. For example, the amounts of pesticides used in the cultivation of cotton are greater than for any other crop. Chemicals sprayed on cotton are washed away from the fields and pollute fresh water sources, causing significant damage to the environment. Fortunately, such challenges can be overcome by switching to the cultivation of transgenic cotton. The introduction of transgenic cotton has already brought many important environmental, social and economic benefits, including a reduction in the use of pesticides, indirect influence on the increase in yields, minimization of environmental pollution, reduction of economic costs and labor for cultivating the crop. Until today, the main methods of obtaining transgenic cotton lines are still agrobacterial transformation and biolistics. In recent years, however, innovative methods of transformation have also been developed. For example, the pollen tube-mediated introduction of genetic material for obtaining commercial transgenic cotton is actively used in China. Although transgenic lines with resistance to diseases and abiotic stresses, and with improved fiber quality have been obtained in recent decades, the market of transgenic cotton is still dominated by insect- and herbicide-resistant lines. All the above indicates an insufficient integration between institutes as sources of advanced developments and agricultural industry. The present review collected and summarized the results of research on the cultivation and genetic modification of cotton. The main methods of genetic transformation of cultivated representatives of the genus Gossypium, both actively used at present and still under development, were considered. Also, the most remarkable transgenic lines were also described, among which are those that have already been adopted by the agricultural industry and those that have been obtained only recently. Thus, the reader will be able to get a general idea of the current achievements in the field of cotton genetic modification.

Keywords

• cotton
• transgenic plants
• agrobacterial transformation
• biolistics
• ptt
• pollen magnetofection
• gm cotton
• tam66274