Salinity Stress in Cotton: Adverse Effects, Survival Mechanisms and Management Strategies

Salinity stress is one of the most devastating abiotic stresses that adversely affect cotton growth, development, and productivity worldwide. This chapter comprehensively reviews the adverse effects of salinity stress on cotton at morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels. We discuss how salt stress disrupts water relations, photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, and hormonal balance in cotton plants. The chapter elaborates on various survival mechanisms that cotton plants employ to tolerate salinity, including osmotic adjustment, ion homeostasis, antioxidant defense systems, and stress signaling pathways. Furthermore, we present an in-depth analysis of management strategies to mitigate salinity stress impacts, encompassing agronomic practices, use of osmoprotectants, plant growth regulators, and breeding approaches for salt-tolerant cotton varieties. The integration of conventional breeding with modern molecular techniques and genetic engineering approaches for developing salt-tolerant cotton genotypes is also discussed. This comprehensive review serves as a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners working on improving cotton productivity under saline conditions.