Sorghum germination and emergence are sensitive to temperatures below 15°C, limiting early planting, stand establishment, and sorghum crop expansion into higher latitudes. Identification of physiological mechanisms responsible for cold tolerance along with development of screening methods will help breeders expedite development of cold tolerant sorghum genotypes. Earlier studies suggested that seedling cold tolerance and respiration are correlated. Preliminary studies at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Bushland, TX, have shown that Ethiopian cold tolerant sorghums had high respiration, germination, and elongation rates, while Egyptian cold sensitive genotypes had low rates. Present research evaluates respiration rates in seedlings and mitochondria extracts from five parental sorghum lines and their F2 hybrids that exhibits contrasting field emergence under cool weather conditions.