Several laws have reached creation for studying the world cotton diversity, with an enormous theoretical and practical importance. For practical selection, the characteristics of special value are the bush shape, its durability and non-recumbency, types of branching, and the branches’ structure: the size, shape, and opening rates of the ripe bolls, quick entry into the crop, and quick ripening. Therefore, it is necessary to study its relationship with the day length and light period, to irrigation, soil fertility, characteristics of the saline soil, and the existence of other similar signs. From such diversity, it showed cotton is an extremely flexible crop with great opportunities for selection, including the selection of base material. Specifically, the diploid species, such as, Gossypium herbaceum and Gossypium arboreum, has a great significance to selection. These old world cotton species are the results of centuries of evolution. Concepts about the origin, botanical composition, relations, evolution, and geographical distribution of cultivated and wild cotton species have been inaccurate until now. Therefore, it is obligatory to revise and update, correct, and supplement the existing information.
Old world cotton, G. herbaceum, G. arboreum, diploid cotton, cultivars, collection, wild and cultivated, landraces
The present review focuses on the advisory information on the history, development, and genetic potential of the old world cotton species. The findings were contributions by the different scientists from the cotton-growing countries, including China, India, USA, Pakistan, Brazil, and Uzbekistan. The presented compilation of the worldwide past findings will serve as a base source and an opportunity for improving the future research on cotton.