Molecular Pathogens, 2025, Vol.16, No.1, 10-18 http://microbescipublisher.com/index.php/mp 10 Case Study Open Access Case Study: Enhancing Cotton’s Resistance to Fungal Pathogens Pingping Yang, Jin Zhang Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Haikou, 570206, Hainan, China Corresponding author: jin.zhang@hitar.org Molecular Pathogens, 2025, Vol.16, No.1 doi: 10.5376/mp.2025.16.0002 Received: 17 Nov., 2024 Accepted: 05 Jan., 2025 Published: 18 Jan., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Yang and Zhang, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Yang P.P., and Zhang J., 2025, Case study: enhancing cotton’s resistance to fungal pathogens, Molecular Pathogens, 16(1): 10-18 (doi: 10.5376/mp.2025.16.0002) Abstract This study reviews the latest advances in cotton resistance to fungal diseases, particularly Verticillium dahliae and Fusarium oxysporum induced wilt and wilt, using advanced technologies such as genome-wide association analysis (GWAS), CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, and RNA interference (RNAi). The focus is on genetics and molecular mechanisms, breeding methods, and the application of biotechnology; And emphasized the importance of integrating traditional breeding and modern biotechnology methods to develop disease resistant cotton varieties, and pointed out that future research needs to further explore the roles of plant hormones, long non coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and other factors in disease resistance pathways, in order to promote the development of sustainable agricultural production. Keywords Genetic resistance; Cotton (Gossypiumspp.); Verticillium wilt; Genome editing; Systemic resistance 1 Introduction Cotton (Gossypiumspp.) is a very important cash crop and is the main source of our production of natural fibers. The entire textile industry cannot do without it. Now, about 77 countries around the world are growing cotton, with a planting area of more than 33 million hectares. Many people live on cotton. For example, in India, about 60 million people are related to cotton, and about 6 million are farmers who grow cotton (Boblina et al., 2023). Therefore, cotton is very critical to both agriculture and the global textile industry (McGarry et al., 2024). However, it is not easy to plant cotton and you will encounter a lot of trouble. Especially some fungal diseases, which pose a particularly great threat to cotton. Diseases caused by Verticillium dahliae and Fusarium oxysporum can reduce cotton yields and poor fiber quality (Hu et al., 2021). These bacteria can invade cotton in many ways, such as destroying its immune system or releasing toxins, making it harder for cotton to resist them (Zhu et al., 2023). These diseases not only bring economic losses, but also affect whether cotton can be planted continuously. Therefore, we must find better prevention and treatment methods (Tao et al., 2016). Now, a lot of research is trying to enhance cotton’s disease resistance from a genetic and biochemical perspective. Studies have found that some specific genes can help cotton fight bacteria, such as genes that control lignin synthesis, which can make the cotton's cell wall stronger (Hu et al., 2021). There are also regulators like GhWRKY1, as well as some melatonin-like compounds, that can also help cotton produce more gossypol and lignin, increasing its resistance (Li et al., 2019). In addition, some studies are still using new technologies such as RNA interference and gene stacking, hoping to make cotton more resistant to diseases. This article mainly summarizes some research progress in improving cotton's anti-mycotic ability, especially the content on Verticillium wilt. We also covered the importance of cotton, the disease problems it faces, and the work scientists have done to breed disease-resistant varieties. I hope these contents can provide some inspiration and help for more effective and sustainable disease prevention and control methods in the future. 2 Overview of Major Fungal Diseases in Cotton Cotton is a very important crop in the textile industry, but it is prone to several fungal diseases. These diseases will reduce yields and will also affect the quality of cotton. The most serious diseases include wilt, root rot (caused by Rhizoctonia solani), and anthracnose. Most of these diseases are transmitted through the soil, so it is particularly difficult to prevent and treat.
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