Breeding Approaches for Genetic Improvement in Diploid A Genome Levant Cotton (Gossypium herbaceum L.)
摘要
Levant cotton (Gossypium herbaceum L.), commonly known as Arabian cotton, carries the ancestral A-genome of today’s polyploid cotton and is considered a valuable cash crop. Cotton fibers make up 70% of raw materials in the textile industry, while the seeds provide oil and the stalks can be used for fuel. Hybridization between diploid and tetraploid Gossypium species has resulted in the development of allopolyploid commercial cotton varieties. Gossypium herbaceum has a haploid chromosome number of n = 13 and a diploid genome size of 1.7 Mbp, which varies among different accessions based on geographic origin. Like other crops, cotton production is impacted by weather conditions, pests, and soil water potential. To address these challenges, recent efforts have focused on breeding cotton for resistant genotypes with high fiber or oil content using advanced technology. Gossypium herbaceum represents only 5% of commercially produced diploid cotton varieties globally, limiting the amount of research conducted on this species. However, studies have the potential to yield significant results. This chapter aims to discuss agricultural production, innovative approaches for improving cotton species, and research conducted using biotechnological methods specifically for Gossypium herbaceum under various headings.