Genetic and biotechnological innovations for drought and heat resilient cotton production: a review

Abstract Cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.) is a primary fiber crop of the globe, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. Growth and development of crops are severely affected by climate change effects, especially drought and heat stress. Conventional breeding efforts have been practiced, incorporating heat and drought stress tolerance from tolerant crop genotypes or related tolerant crop species, which take many years until the development reaches the farmers’ fields. Biotechnological innovations have made the process of genetic improvement fast, and even genes from unrelated crop species can be transferred to cotton in order to make it tolerant to deteriorating environmental stresses brought by climate change. In this review article, the consequences of heat and drought stress on cotton crops and their management options through biotechnological innovations like gene transformation, gene editing, epigenetic modifications, and their limitations are discussed. Overall, the objective of this review is to present a comprehensive analysis of biotechnological innovations aimed at heat and drought stress tolerance in cotton, along with future research thrusts.