Looking to expand its lineup of proven, high-performing cotton varieties in the industry’s leading trait platforms, the Deltapine New Product Evaluator (NPE) Program kicks off its 17th year with growers evaluating for the Class of ’25.
Five Bollgard 3 ThryvOn cotton with XtendFlex Technology (B3TXF) and four Bollgard 3 XtendFlex (B3XF) cotton variety candidates will be evaluated by NPE growers this season. The lineup includes candidates with a range of maturities and native trait tolerances to reniform nematode, root-knot nematode and bacterial blight.
“The most recent classes of Deltapine cotton varieties commercialized through this program have raised the bar on performance expectations growers have for yield potential, fiber quality and pest management traits,” said Eric Best, Deltapine cotton product manager.
“There are a lot of things we are excited about in this Class of ’25 variety candidate lineup across all growing regions that includes genetics with strong yield potential and a range of native traits that our NPE growers have asked for.”
Deltapine brand continues to work on bringing high-performing genetics and more ranges of maturities in the B3TXF trait platform to build on the success of recent variety releases, including DP 2414 B3TXF and DP 2328 B3TXF. This year’s B3TXF variety candidates include products in more maturities and nematode resistance. The B3XF variety candidates being evaluated offer strong-yielding genetics in line with recent Deltapine releases, including DP 2127 B3XF and DP 2333 B3XF.
NPE growers located across the Cotton Belt will plant and manage variety candidates in their own growing systems and conditions. Their feedback throughout the season and final yield and quality results will help determine which of the nine candidates have the proven performance worthy enough to make it into the Deltapine Class of ’25 for planting next season.
“The NPE Program began in 2008 as a way of identifying the best genetics to bring to market in a Deltapine bag, and now each new class of Deltapine varieties brings to the market improved yield potential and improved agronomics based on feedback from NPE growers,” said Best.
“The program has become an industry-trusted cotton variety commercialization program, and we look to continue raising the performance bar in cotton with our NPE growers and the Class of ’25.”