Salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses that considerably and adversely affects cotton growth, development, and seed cotton yield. The relevant study aimed to analyze regression and correlation among the morphological traits of 12 cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars exposed to different concentrations of sodium chloride (NaCl). Four levels of NaCl stress (0, 100, 150, and 200 mM) were successful in their application under controlled conditions. The results revealed different levels of salt stress conditions negatively influence cotton traits, particularly the fresh plant weight and shoot length, which showed a decrease of about 50% and 29%, respectively. The dry root weight and root length demonstrated a high degree of stability under salt stress conditions. According to the correlation analysis, plant length and root length appeared as positively correlated with other traits under different mM of NaCl stress conditions. These findings provide useful insights for identifying salt-tolerant cotton genotypes through marker-assisted selection and physiological screening.
Correlation, salt stress, ions, SNP markers, SSR, cotton cultivar
The regression value of plant length against other cotton (G. hirsutum L.) traits, as calculated, enabled the probabilistic estimation of those traits. The considerable positive correlations were evident among the assessed phenotypic traits under different salt stress conditions. The study identified the most susceptible and tolerant cotton traits.