Current Research on Quantifying Cotton Yield Responses to Waterlogging Stress: Indicators and Yield Vulnerability

Abstract

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is an important industrial crop, but it is vulnerable to waterlogging stress. The relationship between cotton yields and waterlogging indicators (CY-WI) is fundamental for waterlogging disaster reduction. This review systematically summarized and analyzed literature containing CY-WI relations across 1970s-2020s. China conducted the most CY-WI experiments (67%), followed by Australia (17%). Recent decades (2010s, 2000s) contributed the highest proportion of CY-WI works (49%, 15%). Surface waterlogging form is mostly employed (74%) much more than sub-surface waterlogging. The flowering and boll-forming stage, followed by the budding stage, performed the most CY-WI experiments (55%), and they showed stronger negative relations of CY-WI than other stages. Some compound stresses enhance negative relations of CY-WI, such as accompanying high temperatures, low temperatures, and shade conditions, whereas some others weaken the negative CY-WI relations, such as prior/post drought and waterlogging. Anti-waterlogging applications significantly weaken negative CY-WI relations. Regional-scale CY-WI research is increasing now, and they verified the influence of compound stresses. In future CI-WI works, we should emphasize the influence of compound stresses, establish regional CY-WI relations regarding cotton growth features, examine more updated cotton cultivars, focus on initial and late cotton stages, and explore the consequence of high-deep submergence.

Keywords: abiotic stress; agro-meteorology; climate change; cotton; crop water relation; field drainage; flood; yield loss.

Figure 1

Categories of the existing CY-WI-related publications in terms of different countries (a), decades (b), examined cotton growth stages (c), and employed waterlogging forms (d). In (c), Se, Bu, Fl, and Bo refer to the seeding stage, budding stage, flowering and boll-setting stage, and the boll-opening stage, respectively. In (d), ponded water and perched water table indicate surface waterlogging and sub-surface waterlogging, respectively; combination indicates that both of the two waterlogging forms were established.

Figure 2

Current indicators employed in establishing CY-WI relations at both field and regional scales. SEW is sum of excess groundwater tables. SFEW is sum of flooding depth and excess groundwater tables. PA is precipitation anomaly, SPI is standardized precipitation index, SPEI is standardized precipitation and evapotranspiration index, SAPEI is standardized antecedent precipitation and evapotranspiration index.

Figure 3

The CY-WI relations at different cotton growth stages of four cotton waterlogging experiments. (a–d) are constructed by using the data collected from Zhang et al. (2016) [22], Wang et al. (2017) [23], Qian et al., (2015) [4], and Zhu et al. (2002) [41], respectively.

Figure 4

Th CY-WI relations for the budding stage, the flowering and boll-forming stage, and the boll opening stage, based on data from different multi-stage cotton waterlogging experiments, including Zhang et al. (2016) [22], Wang et al. (2017) [23], Qian et al., (2015) [4], and Zhu et al. (2002) [41].

Figure 5

Influential factors on CY-WI relations.

Figure 6

The CY-WI relations under waterlogging without accompanying high temperatures and waterlogging with accompanying high temperatures. (a–c) are constructed by the data collected from [29,30,31], respectively.

Figure 7

The relationship between cotton climatic yield and waterlogging intensity (characterized by the SAPEI) from 1990–2017 in Hubei Province of China.