Gene editing in cotton for oil improvement

Authors: Shockey, Jay; Dowd, Michael; Mason, Catherine

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/11/2019
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Cotton is a major agronomic crop in the United States, especially in the southern and southwestern parts of the country. Cotton fiber is the primary economic component produced from cottonseed, but the oil is also a major commodity. We seek to enhance the value of the U.S. cotton crop by engineering new varieties of cotton that produce healthier oils that can compete in the marketplace with other types of vegetable oils. This presentation will summarize the results of some of our recent work, and describe some of our goals for the near future.

Technical Abstract: Cottonseed oil is a valuable co-product derived from the processing of cotton seeds for fiber. Cottonseed oil was a major component of many food products (such as shortenings, margarines, and salad dressings) and other markets in the early to mid-20th century. However, cottonseed oil has lost considerable market share as its use has declined due to competition from other, more oxidatively stable vegetable oils such as high-oleic acid sunflower oil. Here we describe some of the research goals and objectives that we are pursuing to improve the value of the U.S. cotton crop by altering the fatty acid composition of cottonseed oil. Present and future plans include a combination of traditional breeding and marker assisted selection, along with biotechnological approaches such as transgenesis and targeted genome editing.