Response and Tolerance Mechanism of Cotton Gossypium hirsutum L. to Elevated Temperature Stress: A Review

Cotton is an important multipurpose crop which is highly sensitive to both biotic and abiotic stresses. Proper management of this cash crop requires systematic understanding of various environmental conditions vital for both yield and quality. High temperature stress can severely affect the viability of pollens and anther indehiscence leading towards significant yield losses. Cotton can respond to withstand adverse environmental condition in several phases among which the accumulation of chemicals is extremely vital. Calcium, kinases, reactive oxygen species (ROS), carbohydrate, transcription factors, gene expression regulation, and plant hormones signaling pathways are playing a handy role in activating the major genes responsible to encounter and defend elevated temperature stress. The synthesis of heat shock proteins (HSPs) is enhanced when plants are exposed to high temperature stress more distinct of that experienced under natural environment. Molecular breeding can play a functional role to identify superior genes for all the important attributes and provide breeder ready markers for developing ideotypes. The production of high-temperature tolerant transgenic cotton cultivars would provide a stability benefit and will ameliorate its overall performance under high temperature stress.