A review of molecular regulation studies of low temperature stress in cotton

With global climate change, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent. In particular, seasonal cold stress is causing great losses in cotton yield and quality. Xinjiang, one of the major cotton-producing areas in the world, experiences recurrent cold stress in spring and autumn. To understand the impacts of cold stress on cotton production, we summarized the frequency of cold injury in the main cotton-producing areas of Xinjiang, the damages caused by cold injury, and the mechanisms of cold tolerance in cotton. The collective data suggest that developing cold tolerance is becoming one of the most demanding goals for future cotton breeding. Applying genomic and population genetic methodologies to cotton cold stress can lead to innovations in low-temperature stress tolerance breeding. This document discusses the challenges and prospects of cold tolerance breeding in cotton.