Growth, lint yield and changes in physiological attributes of cotton under temporal waterlogging

•Differential responses of growth and yield to temporal waterlogging were examined.•Earlier waterlogging resulted in greater yield loss than later waterlogging due to more severe losses in biological yield and harvest index.•Difference in yield reduction was due to different physiological and molecular changes under different timing of waterlogging. Cotton may suffer from waterlogging from seedling to boll-setting stage, but little is known of how it responds to temporal waterlogging. In this study, cotton was grown in a rain-shelter and subjected to 0 (control)-, 10-, 15- and 20-d waterlogging at squaring (WLS), flowering (WLF) and boll-setting (WLB) stages. The effects of timing (growth stage) and duration of waterlogging on the growth, yield and yield components as well as some physiological and molecular features of cotton were examined. The lint yield was significantly affected by timing and duration of waterlogging as well as their interaction. On average, the 10-, 15-, and 20-d waterlogging reduced lint yield by 53, 59 and 63% at squaring; 27, 37 and 55% at flowering, and 13, 15 and 24% at boll-setting. The more pronounced yield reduction under WLS than later waterlogging (under WLF and WLB) was attributed to greater reductions in biological yield, harvest index, and the resulting boll density and boll weight. Variations in yield loss due to temporal waterlogging was associated with some physiological and molecular changes: a) the chlorophyll synthesis associated gene (GhLHCB) in the main-stem leaves was down-regulated under WLS to a larger extent, leading to lower leaf photosynthesis than that under WLF or WLB; b) cotton alcohol dehydrogenase (GhADH) and pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) genes were better up-regulated, resulting to greater activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and PDC plus lower activity of SOD, POD and CAT and higher accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and H2O2 under WLS than under WLF and WLB; c) more pronounced reductions in GA and IAA content were observed under WLS than WLF and WLB. Higher sensitivity to earlier waterlogging than later waterlogging in cotton was attributed to the greater reductions in biological yield and harvest index resulting from differences in physiological and molecular adjustments of the plants.