Role of Molecular Breeding Tools in Enhancing the Breeding of Drought-Resilient Cotton Genotypes: An Updated Review

Drought stress is an inevitable factor that disturbs the production of plants by altering morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular functions. Breeding for drought tolerance requires a complete understanding factors controlling stress-responsive pathways. The plant responds to adopting four mechanisms: avoidance, escape, tolerance, recovery. Traditional plant-breeding tools have been employed increase in cotton, but complexity has limited use these breeding methods. adopts several key strategies against stress, such as activating signaling network factors. Cotton breeders engaged elucidating mechanisms cotton using significant quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping, transcription (TFs) analysis, transcriptome genome-wide association studies (GWAS), genetic engineering, CRISPR/Cas9. Breeders studied functional description genes interacting pathways accountable cotton. Hundreds genes/QTL identified, many cloned cotton; however, traits still needs more study. This review presents detailed overview tools, their application improving prospects. will help future researchers conduct further develop drought-tolerant genotypes can thrive under conditions water scarcity.