Seedlings of 2 cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars were grown in 15 cm plots in the greenhouse free from nematode, mite, or insect pests at Dallas, Texas in 1985. Aldicarb was applied weekly at rates labeled for cotton. Growth measured as number of squares, leaf area, plant wet weight, and percent dry matter after 5 weeks was regressed against rate applied, (rate)2 and the interaction of rate and date of application. No positive growth response was demonstrated for cotton. Instead, a negative response was found for leaf area, wet weight, and percent dry matter to rate of aldicarb and the interaction of rate and date of application in 'Paymaster 145' and for leaf area and wet weight to the rate x date interaction in 'Texas Marker TM- 1'. In both cultivars, the number of squares was negatively correlated with the square of the rate applied.