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Latebreaking Poster

Session: Agriculture (Latebreaking)

LB 1-3 - Dissection of salt tolerance in cotton germplasm by analyzing agro-physiological traits and potential of ERF genes under salt stress for sustainable agriculture

Thursday, August 10, 2023
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM PDT
Location: ESA Exhibit Hall

    Presenting Author(s)

  • AR

    Abdul Razzaq

    Assistant Professor
    Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, The University of Lahore, Pakistan

The development of genotypes that can tolerate high levels of salt is crucial for the efficient use of salt-affected land and for enhancing crop productivity worldwide. Therefore, incorporating salinity tolerance is a critical trait that crops must possess. Salt resistance is a complex character, controlled by multiple genes both physiologically and genetically. To examine the genetic foundation of salt tolerance, we assessed 16 F1 hybrids and their eight parental lines under normal and salt stress (15 dS m-1) conditions. Under salt stress conditions significant reduction was observed for plant height (PH), bolls/plant (NBP), boll weight (BW), seed cotton yield (SCY), lint% (LP), fiber length (FL), fiber strength (FS), potassium to sodium ratio (K+/Na+), potassium contents (K+), and chlorophyll contents. Furthermore, the mean values for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), sodium contents (Na+), total soluble proteins (TSP), catalase (CAT), superoxidase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), carotenoids (Car) and fiber fineness (FF) were increased under salt stress. Moderate to high heritability and genetic advance was observed for NBP, BW, LP, SCY, K+/Na+, SOD, CAT, POD, Car, TSP, FL, and FS. Heatmapping and multivariate analysis of 24 cotton genotypes based on various agro-physiological and biochemical parameters suggested that the genotypes FBS- SMART × FBG-333, JSQ- White Hold, FBG-222 × Ghauri-3, FBG-222, FBG-222 × Barani-222, FBS- FALCON × Ghauri-3, Barani-333, and FBS- FALCON achieved the maximum values for K+/Na+, K+, TSP, POD, Chlb, CAT, Car, LP, FS, FL, PH, NBP, BW, and SCY under salt stress and declared as salt resistant genotypes. The above-mentioned genotypes also showed relatively higher expression levels of Ghi-ERF-2D.6 and Ghi-ERF-7A.6 at 15 dSm-1 and proved the role of these ERF genes in salt tolerance in cotton. The findings suggest that these genotypes have the potential for the development of salt-tolerant cotton varieties with desirable fiber quality traits.