Abstract: To understand the low temperature chilling damage at sowing and seedling emergence stage of cotton in northern Xinjiang, with the artificial climate chamber, we designed different low temperature stresses for sowing and seedling emergence test, and studied the suitable sowing temperature index, accumulated temperature index from sowing to seedling emergence period and suitable sowing time of cotton, combined with the agricultural meteorological observation data during 1991-2017. The results showed that: the parameters, such as germination rate, germination days, length of germination, fresh weight of germination and seedling emergence rate, had non-linear and regular changes with temperature; the longer the time of low temperature stress, the later the seedling emergence, the more the accumulated temperature needed; the minimum temperature for seedling emergence of main cotton varieties in northern Xinjiang was 12℃, and the required accumulated temperature was above 160℃ · d, the effective accumulated temperature of 12℃ or higher was above 55℃·d. Through artificial climate chamber test in combination with the practical monitoring research in field, the temperature steadily passing 12℃ in northern Xinjiang should be used as the initial period for planting main cotton varieties; the seeding time should be in late April, thus the seedling stage can be free from the spring cold damage.