Finding needles in a haystack: Using geo-references to enhance the selection and utilization of landraces in breeding for climate-resilient cultivars of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

The genetic uniformity of cultivated cotton as a consequence of domestication and modernbreeding makes it extremely vulnerable to abiotic challenges brought about by major climate shifts.To sustain productivity amidst worsening agro-environments, future breeding objectives need to seriouslyconsider introducing new genetic variation from diverse resources into the current germplasmbase of cotton. Landraces are genetically heterogeneous, population complexes that have been primarilyselected for their adaptability to specific localized or regional environments. This makes theman invaluable genetic resource of novel allelic diversity that can be exploited to enhance the resilienceof crops to marginal environments. The utilization of cotton landraces in breeding programs areconstrained by the phenology of the plant and the lack of phenotypic information that can facilitateefficient selection of potential donor parents for breeding. In this review, the genetic value of cottonlandraces and t