A comprehensive review on Gossypium hirsutum resistance against cotton leaf curl virus

Abstract

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is a significant fiber crop. Being a major contributor to the textile industry requires continuous care and attention. Cotton is subjected to various biotic and abiotic constraints. Among these, biotic factors including cotton leaf curl virus (CLCuV) are dominant. CLCuV is a notorious disease of cotton and is acquired, carried, and transmitted by the whitefly (Bemisia tabaci). A cotton plant affected with CLCuV may show a wide range of symptoms such as yellowing of leaves, thickening of veins, upward or downward curling, formation of enations, and stunted growth. Though there are many efforts to protect the crop from CLCuV, long-term results are not yet obtained as CLCuV strains are capable of mutating and overcoming plant resistance. However, systemic-induced resistance using a gene-based approach remained effective until new virulent strains of CLCuV (like Cotton Leaf Curl Burewala Virus and others) came into existence. Disease control by biological means and the development of CLCuV-resistant cotton varieties are in progress. In this review, we first discussed in detail the evolution of cotton and CLCuV strains, the transmission mechanism of CLCuV, the genetic architecture of CLCuV vectors, and the use of pathogen and nonpathogen-based approaches to control CLCuD. Next, we delineate the uses of cutting-edge technologies like genome editing (with a special focus on CRISPR-Cas), next-generation technologies, and their application in cotton genomics and speed breeding to develop CLCuD resistant cotton germplasm in a short time. Finally, we delve into the current obstacles related to cotton genome editing and explore forthcoming pathways for enhancing precision in genome editing through the utilization of advanced genome editing technologies. These endeavors aim to enhance cotton's resilience against CLCuD.

Keywords: CLCuD; Cotton (G. hirsutum L.); genome editing; next-generation technologies; speed breeding.

FIGURE 1

A global perspective on cotton phenotypes, geographic distributions, and the worldwide prevalence of CLCuD. (A–D) show the morphology of G. raimondii, G. herbaceum, G. arboretum and G. hirsutum, respectively. (E) Represents the Cotton leaf shape of different clades. (F) The distribution patterns of A to G, K, and AD genomes are depicted geographically. The AD and D genome cluster is represented in yellow, the A, B, E, and F genome clusters in green, and the C, G, and K genome clusters in red. (G) Prevalence of different CLCuD strains worldwide.

FIGURE 2

The genomic arrangement of all the contributing viruses responsible for CLCuD in Asia (A–C) and Africa (D,E). The prominent Begomovirus, along with DNA satellites associated with the suggested third epidemic (C), Burewala epidemic (B) and Multan epidemic (A) are displayed. In the period of the Multan epidemic, various Begomoviruses were simultaneously identified in cotton plants, including tomato leaf curl Bangalore virus (ToLCBaV), Papaya Leaf Curl Virus (PaLCuV), cotton leaf curl Kokhran virus (CLCuKoV) and cotton leaf curl Alabad virus (CLCuAlV). Nevertheless, the primary.