SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF COTTON SEED GERMINATION IN THE CENTRAL REGION OF UZBEKISTAN

The responses of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) seeds to germination depend upon the point in the germination-through-emergence sequence at which seed environmental conditions conclude to promote germination and seedling development. Temperature and genotype can influence seedling vigor in upland cotton and help identify promising genotypes that could perform well under different temperature extremes. In the presented research, the nature of the development of cotton seeds largely depends on temperature conditions and the growing seasons, which provide information that determines their uniformity based on the thermal regime of germination. The physical and biological diversity of cotton seeds has close relations to the pattern of plant development and the influence of certain environmental factors on them. In the presented study, sowing seeds of three local cotton cultivars, AN-Bayaut-2, Tashkent-6, and Armugon-2, transpired on two dates (April 17 and May 10). The nature of cotton seeds’ development, largely dependent on temperature and growing season and on the thermal regime of their germination, showed different indicators. A discovery revealed that the germination of seeds decreased in areas with later-sown kernels. In terms of germination energy and other physiological functions, the best results were notable in seeds at the lower and middle stages of plant development. The cultivar AN-Bayaut-2 is adaptable to various environmental factors according to seed germination and vegetation period compared with other local cotton varieties, i.e., Tashkent-6 and Armugon-2.