The potential for chilling conditions in many Australian cotton growing regions during early growth and development stages demonstrates the need for assessing cold tolerance of cultivars. Preliminary studies have been initiated to assess a range of simple techniques to detect cold tolerance between cultivars. Early results have been positive in detecting some differences between cultivars. The laboratory germination test where seeds are germinated at temperatures of 14 degreesC for 4 days showed some potential for providing an indication of differences in germination and early establishment