The present invention describes the mechanism or processes involved in the cause of parawilt/sudden wilt of cotton plants. Soil saturation or waterlogging in addition to the prevalence of bright sunlight is found to be prerequisite for the occurrence of wilt. Plants at grand growth phase i.e., at flowering and early boll development possessing large canopy and heavy boll load are found to be more prone to wilt. At this stage these plants found to have higher physiological processes such as stomatal conductance, transpiration and photosynthesis. The assimilation of photosynthate into macromolecules such as amino acids and proteins involves nutrients whose uptake from the soil is an active process. Thus, plants with higher nutrient uptake impose higher respiration demand on the roots, which in saturated /waterlogged soil depletes the root zone O2 at a faster rate and causes injury to the roots. The damaged roots restrict the flow of water through the roots, which in addition to higher transpiration loss of water through the leaves causes wilting. This invention also describes a method by which wilt can be simulated under artificial condition. This is useful to scientists and other investigators to study the wilt in great detail, selection of wilt tolerant genotypes and evolution of management techniques for the control of parawilt. It also confirms that the higher wilt menace observed in transgenic cotton plants is not directly linked to the insertion of Bt(Bacillus thuringensis) gene in cotton.
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