Fruit development of Upland Cotton cultivars in three maturity groups (based on time of boll opening) were evaluated to determine the components contributing to early fruit development as a means of escaping insect damage and hastening crop maturity.

The medium-maturing variety was found to flower earlier than the early-maturing variety, suggesting that it might be more likely to escape damage by the boll weevil. The early-maturing variety derived its' earliness from a short boll maturation period. Early boll opening does not always result from early flowering, thus early maturity was not necessarily an indication of a cultivar's potential for escaping damage by the weevil.