1 Introduction Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is one of the most important economic crops, as it provides the most widely used natural fibre, contributes approximately 35% of global fibre demand, and serves as a significant source of edible oil and animal feed (Wen et al. 2023; Zhu et al. 2023). However, the fibre yield and quality of cotton are seriously affected by Verticillium wilt, caused by the soilborne pathogen Verticillium dahliae (Cai et al. 2009; Shaban et al. 2018; Umer et al. 2023).
