Thirsty F1 combinations were made from 6 varieties (lines) varying in boll characters according to complete diallel crossing design.The heterosis of dry matter weight of components of boll-leaf system (seed cotton,boll shell,subtending leaf of boll) in different boll development stages was evaluated using additive-dominance genetic model.The correlations among them were investigated.The results showed that boll weight expressed very significant and positive F1 heterosis over mid-parent based on population mean (HMP) in most boll-development stages,which decreased along with the developmental course of cotton boll.Boll weight exhibited very significant and positive F1 heterosis over better parent based on population mean (HBP) at 10 d after flowering (DAF),hereafter decreased to the minimum at cotton boll opening.Boll shell weight mainly gave negative F1 HBP throughout the boll development,and statistically very significant and positive F1 HMP heterosis except 17 DAF.There existed the maximum HMP and HBP for the dry weight of the subtending leaf of cotton boll at 45 DAF with the average value of 8.64%,6.54% respectively,and the ratios of the crosses showing positive F1 HMP and HBP to total crosses were 100% and 86.67% respectively.Vary low or negative F1 heterosis was found for the dry weight of the subtending leaf of cotton boll at the other boll-development stages.The F1 HBP of boll shell weight at 17 DAF was positively correlated with that of boll weight at 45,52 DAF at 0.05/0.01 level.The F1 HBp of the dry weight of subtending leaf at 17 DAF showed positive and significant associations with that of boll weight at 17,24,31 DAF at 0.05/0.01 level.These results suggested that the boll weight at boll opening were influenced by the development condition of the subtending leaf of cotton boll and boll shell at 17 DAF.