Growth and Productivity of Cotton Grown from Seed Produced Under Four Night Temperatures1

Abstract

The seeds used in this study were produced by growing cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plants from first flower through boll maturation in growth chambers where tire night temperatures were 11, 15, 21, and 27 C. These seeds were used to evaluate the effect of seed quality on the growth and productivity of matured plants. The cultivars used were ‘Acala 1517 Br2,’ ‘Stoneville 7A,’ ‘Lankart Sel 57,’ ‘Stripper 31,’ and ‘CA 491.’ Characters or traits measured were 1) seed weight and percentage of germination of the seed produced in the temperature controlled growth chambers; and 2) rate of seedling emergence, vegetative growth rates, seed cotton per plant, bolls per plant, and production rate index of the plants grown from the seed produced in the chambers.Low night temperatures during the seed maturation period had a detrimental effect upon seed quality (seed weight and percentage of germination). In field plantings, seedlings from seeds produced under low night temperatures (11 and 15 C) emerged more slowly than those from seeds produced under high night temperatures (21 and 27 C). The plants that developed from seeds produced under low night temperatures (11 C) grew more slowly and were less productive than plants from seeds produced under high night temperatures (21 and 27 C).