Water Stress and Reproductive Development in Cotton

Water is the most limiting factor for plant growth and crop productivity (Kramer, 1983), and water-deficit stress adversely affects crop growth and yield throughout the world (Boyer, 1982). Crop yields are being reduced by drought and the increasing scarcity of water for irrigation, and changing world climatic trends may increase the severity of the problem (Le Houerou, 1996). Water availability and quality affect the growth and physiological processes of all plants, since water is the primary component of actively growing plants, ranging from 70-90% of plant fresh mass (Gardner et al., 1984). Due to its predominant role in plant nutrient transport, chemical and enzymatic reactions, cell expansion, and transpiration, water-deficit stress alters how plants grow, their morphology, and the biochemical processes that occur in them (Hsiao, 1973; Kramer, 1980). In general, plant water-deficit stress is defined as the condition where a plant’s water potential and turgor are decreased sufficiently to inhibit normal plant function (Hsiao 1973). The effects of water stress depend on the severity and duration of the stress, the growth stage at which stress is imposed, and the genotype of the plant (Kramer, 1983). The effect of water-deficit stress on the growth, physiology and yield of cotton was recently reviewed by Loka et al. (2011). This review discusses the effects of water-deficit stress on reproductive development of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.).