Screening cotton genotypes for their drought tolerance ability based on the expression level of dehydration-responsive element-binding protein and proline biosynthesis-related genes and morpho-physio-biochemical responses

Drought stress adversely affects growth, development, productivity, and fiber quality of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L). Breeding strategies to enhance drought tolerance require an improved knowledge of plant drought responses necessitating proper identification of drought-tolerant genotypes of crops, including cotton. The objective of this study was to classify the selected cotton genotypes for their drought tolerance ability based on morpho-physio-biochemical traits using Hierarchical Ward’s cluster analysis. Five genotypes of cotton (Takfa 3, Takfa 6, Takfa 7, Takfa 84–4, and Takfa 86–5) were selected as plant materials, and were grown under well-watered (WW; 98 ± 2