Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) production on the Texas High Plains is limited by the number of accumulated seasonal heat units. In order for producers to maximize yields and fiber quality they must plant early such that boll and fiber development can proceed under somewhat warmer fall conditions. This early planting subjects the germinating seeds to cool and often wet conditions which often result in only 40 to 60% of the seed planted even developing into established and productive plants. Therefore, for maximum yield of high quality lint, genotypes with both early and late season cold tolerance need to be developed for the Texas High Plains. The objective of this study was to evaluate several laboratory tests for their predictive ability of both early and late season cold tolerance in the field. A reliable test for this trait could then be used to screen large numbers of genotypes in the laboratory versus more costly and labor intensive field evaluations.