Terpene chemotypes in Gossypium hirsutum (wild cotton) from the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Cultivated plants of Gossypium hirsutum Cav. (cotton) consistently emit low levels of volatile organic compounds, primarily mono- and sesquiterpenoids, which are produced and stored in pigment glands. In this study, we provide a comprehensive evaluation of the terpene profiles of wild G. hirsutum plants sourced from sites located throughout natural distribution of this species, thus providing the first in-depth assessment of the scope of its intraspecific chemotypic diversity. Chemotypic variation can potentially influence resistance to herbivory and diseases, or interact with abiotic stress such as extreme temperatures. Under controlled environmental conditions, plants were grown from seeds of sixteen G. hirsutum populations collected along the coastline of the Yucatan Peninsula, which is its likely centre of origin. We found high levels of intraspecific diversity in the terpene profiles of the plants. Two distinct chemotypes were identified: one chemotype contained higher levels of the monoterpenes γ-terpinene, limonene, α-thujene, α-terpinene, terpinolene, and p-cymene, while the other chemotype was distinguished by higher levels of α- and β-pinene. The distribution of chemotypes followed a geographic gradient from west to east, with an increasing frequency of the former chemotype. Concurrent analysis of maternal plants revealed that chemotypes in wild G. hirsutum are highly heritable.