衰老是棉株或其某些器官发生导致生命活动自然终止的败坏过程,是棉株生长发育过程的必然归宿,熟相则是棉株吐絮成熟期的表现,是衰老的表现形式和结果,有早衰、贪青晚熟和正常成熟之分.衰老和熟相都是基因型与环境互作的结果.本文总结评述了棉花衰老的生理生态和分子生物学方面的研究进展,提出了依靠选育稳发型棉花品种、合理使用植物生长调节剂并综合运用农艺栽培措施调控棉株生长发育和衰老,实现正常熟相,进而提高棉花产量和品质. Aging is the process of cotton plants or some of its organs leading to the natural termination of the life-threatening process of corruption is the inevitable end of the process of growth and development of cotton plants, ripe phase is the performance of cotton boll opening maturity is the manifestation of aging and the result of Premature aging, late blooming and normal ripening.Aging and familiar phase are the result of interaction between genotype and environment.This paper summarizes the research progress in the physiological ecology and molecular biology of cotton senescence, Hair cotton varieties, the rational use of plant growth regulators and the integrated use of agronomic cultivation measures cotton plant growth and development and aging, to achieve normal cooked phase, thereby increasing cotton yield and quality.