Cotton Breeding and Genetics: Advances and Perspectives
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 8
Special Issue Editor
Interests: cotton; verticillium dahliae; verticillium wilt; resistance mechanisms; effector; lignin biosynthesis; biological control; single-cell metabolomics
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cotton is a cornerstone of the global textile industry and a vital agricultural commodity. To meet growing demands for yield, fiber quality, and climate resilience, cotton breeding must evolve beyond conventional methods. The convergence of genomics, data science, and precision biotechnology has ushered in a new era of molecular design breeding and smart breeding. This Special Issue seeks to highlight cutting-edge research that leverages transformative technologies, such as CRISPR-based genome editing and AI/ML-driven predictive models, to decode complex traits and accelerate the development of superior cotton varieties. We invite you to contribute your pioneering work to this important collection.
This Special Issue aims to compile high-quality research and reviews that demonstrate the application and integration of advanced tools in cotton genetics and breeding. We focus on how precision genome editing and intelligent data-driven approaches can solve real-world breeding challenges, aligning with the journal's scope of publishing significant advances in plant genetics, genomics, and biotechnology for crop improvement.
For this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Development and application of CRISPR-Cas systemsfor targeted trait improvement in cotton.
- AI and machine learning modelsfor genomic prediction, phenotype analysis, and breeding decision support.
- Integration of multi-omics data (genomics, phenomics, metabolomics) for gene discovery and functional analysis.
- High-throughput phenotyping platforms and their application in smart breeding pipelines.
- Synthesizing genetic gain and outlining future roads for molecular design breeding in cotton.
We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions.
Prof. Dr. Xuwu Sun
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- molecular design breeding
- smart breeding
- CRISPR-Cas
- artificial intelligence
- cotton genomics
- multi-omics
- high-throughput phenotyping
- trait prediction
- genome editing
- crop improvement
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