Cotton plants (Gossypium hirsutum. Linn. var. Sankar 4) were grown at normal and toxic levels of substrate manganese, and the altered metabolism of manganese toxic plants was studied. The tissues of plants exposed to toxic levels of manganese had higher activities of peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase, and the activities of catalase, ascorbic acid oxidase, glutathione oxidase and cytochrome c oxidase were lowered. In addition, the high manganese tissue had lower contents of ATP and glutathione but higher amounts of ascorbic acid. The respiration of the partially expanded leaves and the growing tips of toxic plants were depressed when compared to that of the normal tissues. The metabolic changes of manganese toxicity of cotton are placed in the following order: accumulation of manganese in the leaf tissue; a rise in respiration; stimulation of polyphenol oxidase; the appearance of initial toxicity symptoms; the evolution of ethylene and stimulation of peroxidase; the presence of severe toxicity symptoms; the depression of terminal oxidases and respiration; abscission of the growing tip and proliferation of the stem tissue. The early stimulation of polyphenol oxidase may be used to detect potential manganese toxicity.