Genetic engineering of cotton: current status and perspectives

Abstract

Currently, several species of the genus Gossypium are cultivated in agriculture to produce fiber. Cotton has been cultivated for a long time, however, many aspects of its cultivation and processing are still researched. Writing about the cultivation of cotton, it is worth mentioning the fundamental problems of its processing. For example, the amounts of pesticides used in the cultivation of cotton are greater than for any other crop. Chemicals sprayed on cotton fields are washed away from the fields and, reaching the fresh water sources, pollute them, causing significant damage to the environment. Fortunately, such challenges can be solved by switching to the cultivation of transgenic cotton. Transgenic cotton has already brought many important environmental, social and economic benefits, including reduce of the used pesticides, indirectly increasing of yield, minimizing environmental pollution, reducing the labor force involved and economic costs.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 introduction of genetic material mediated by a pollen tube for the cultivation of commercial transgenic cotton is actively used in China. Although in recent decades transgenic lines resistant to diseases, abiotic stresses and with improved fiber quality have been obtained, the dominant position in the market of transgenic cotton is still occupied by lines of plants resistant to insects and herbicides. All the above indicates an insufficient degree of integration between institutes that introduce new advanced developments and agricultural industry.In this review the results of research involving the cultivation and genetic modification of cotton were collected and summarized. The main methods of genetic transformation of cultivated representatives of the genus Gossypium, both actively used at present and still under development, were considered. The most remarkable transgenic lines were also described, among which both those that have already entered agricultural industry and those that have only recently been obtained. Thus, the reader will be able to get a general idea of the current achievements in the field of cotton genetic modification.