Evaluation of the Low-Temperature Tolerance of Cotton Varieties in the Huang-Huai Region during Seed Germination

Objective] To provide a theoretical foundation and germplasm resources for low-temperature-germination cotton breeding, the germination characteristics of 38 cotton varieties novel to or formerly widely planted in the Huang-Huai Region were evaluated under different low temperature stress conditions. Method] Analysis of variance, the fuzzy membership function method, and cluster analysis were used to comprehensively evaluate the tolerance of these varieties to low temperature stress. Result] As the temperature was lowered, germination rate, germination index, and vigor index exhibited a decreasing trend in all cotton varieties, but resistance to low temperature was significantly different among varieties. Cluster analysis divided the 38 varieties into three categories: highly resistant, resistant, and non-resistant. Conclusion] Early-introduced varieties and those bred from early-introduced germplasm resources had weaker resistance to low temperature stress, with Stoneville and Deltapine series showing the lowest tolerance. The new transgenic insect-resistant cotton varieties SCRC 37 and SCRC 36 had the strongest resistance to low temperature stress.