Abiotic stress resilience in cotton under a changing climate: challenges and prospects

: Cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.), a vital fiber crop and mainstay of global agriculture and the textile industry, is under mounting pressure from a growing spectrum of abiotic stresses driven by changing climatic conditions. The intricate physiological balance in cotton is significantly disrupted due to the combined effects of inconsistent temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and soil salinization, resulting in diminished cotton growth, reduced fiber quality, and yield. These shifts in climate drive concurrent escalation of abiotic stressors, including drought, heat stress, and soil salinity, projected to disrupt the productivity of cotton through coupled physiological disruptions. This review highlights the consequences of climate change projections as well as the molecular and cellular defense pathways through which cotton responds to the influence of drought, heat, and salinity stress brought on by climate change, emphasizing hormonal signaling, oxidative defense, and gene networks. Additionally, this review also explores the cutting-edge biotechnological advancements, including multi-omics techniques, CRISPR/Cas genome editing that target critical pathways (such as GhMAPK signaling and ROS control), and transgenic breeding approaches to develop stress-resilient varieties. Adaptive agronomic practices such as improved irrigation, which is a crucial element of climate-smart cotton farming, are also discussed. For the cultivation of resilient cotton varieties, it is important to decipher the interdisciplinary strategies and to prioritize future research in developing climate-smart cotton ideotypes, making use of wild-type Gossypium germplasm for stress tolerance alleles and implementing standardized protocols for phenotyping stress tolerance while upholding consistent productivity and superior fiber quality.