HANGZHOU, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers have found a small molecule which can sense the temperature and control seed germination in cotton.

Cotton seeds usually start germination in 24 hours with enough moisture, while researchers from Zhejiang University found a group of cotton seeds that start germination after just 12 hours of moisture.

They revealed the molecular mechanism from seed to seedling in response to temperature changes. The seeds with a high content of a type of small molecule protein HSP24.7 motivated seeds germination with rising temperature.

This mechanism has been tested to be generally applicable in certain types of plants.

Rapid seed germination is critical to maximizing crop yield potential in modern agricultural cultivation practices, according to the research.