Application of metabolomics in cotton

Authors: Naoumkina, Marina

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2025
Publication Date: 10/20/2025
Citation: Naoumkina, M.A. 2025. Application of metabolomics in cotton. Book Chapter. The Cotton Genome p. 267-276. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-84605-2_15#DOI.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-84605-2_15#DOI

Interpretive Summary: The commercial importance of cotton as the major crop producing renewable source of fiber for textile industry as well as cottonseed oil for food industry is a main driving force to study these species. Metabolomics is a new technology that measures molecules composition in biological sample. Metabolomics techniques have been broadly used to improve our understanding of fundamental aspects of cotton fiber development. Biological processes of cotton fiber development have been subjects for extensive metabolomics analyses. Metabolite profiling studies have been used to select cotton cultivars with healthier ratios of the essential fatty acids extracted from cottonseeds, providing a powerful resource to guide breeding programs. These studies have already considerably expanded our knowledge, and continue to do so, concerning many aspects of the cotton fiber traits.

Technical Abstract: The commercial importance of cotton as the major crop producing renewable source of fiber for textile industry as well as cottonseed oil for food industry is a main driving force to study these species. Metabolomics techniques have been broadly used to improve our understanding of fundamental aspects of cotton fiber development. Biological processes of cotton fiber development, including fiber cells elongation and secondary cell wall biosynthesis have been subjects for extensive metabolomics analyses. Metabolite profiling studies have been used to select cotton cultivars with healthier ratios of the essential fatty acids extracted from cottonseeds, providing a powerful resource to guide breeding programs. These studies have already considerably expanded our knowledge, and continue to do so, concerning many aspects of the cotton fiber phenotype, both visible and chemical. Furthermore, increased knowledge of the genetics of cotton, large-scale phenotyping approaches, the recently available drafts of the cotton genome sequence as well as advances in next generation sequencing technologies have generated many novel research concepts that are also placing metabolomics analyses as important component of cotton research.