The industry’s first Bollgard II XtendFlex cotton variety with root-knot nematode (RKN) resistance and a high-performing early to mid-maturity cotton variety were named to the Deltapine Class of 17 during the ninth annual New Products Evaluators (NPE) Summit.
DP 1747NR B2XF and DP 1725 B2XF, were proven to perform by Deltapine NPE growers, who grew the varieties in large-acre plots under their own management systems. The growers’ evaluation and feedback were important to the selection of lines for commercial advancement.
RKN Resistance
DP 1747NR B2XF is the first Bollgard II XtendFlex variety that offers RKN resistance. The nematode resistance breeding trait provides season-long control by enabling strong root growth and reducing RKN populations in the soil profile. In NPE plots and Deltapine market development trials, DP 1747NR B2XF outyielded both DP 1454NR B2RF and DP 1558NR B2RF, two standards for yield potential in RKN-resistant varieties.
DP 1747NR B2XF has shown comparable yield potential to the best-yielding commercial varieties on the market in fields with and without RKN pressure. DP 1747NR B2XF also offers the weed control benefits of Bollgard II XtendFlex technology, part of the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System for cotton.
During the 2016 summer, NPE grower Nick Marshall in Baker, Fla., planted DP 1747NR B2XF as an NPE variety candidate. Half of the field, which had sandy soil and on which cotton had never performed well, was irrigated and half was non-irrigated.
“Emergence and early vigor were very good, and it grew off into a great-looking stand,” Marshall says. “We planted it side-by-side with DP 1646 B2XF. It looked healthier all season long and handled stress better. Yield-wise, it was comparable with DP 1646 B2XF.”
Exceptional Yield Potential
DP 1725 B2XF is an early to mid-maturity variety that has shown exceptional yield potential in the Mid-South and Southeast.
It offers improved fiber quality over DP 1522 B2XF as well as improved yield potential.
“When we can commercialize varieties that are better than products like DP 1522 B2XF, that’s a real accomplishment because we’ve set the bar very high with the Deltapine Class of 15 and Class of 16 cotton varieties,” says Keylon Gholston, Deltapine cotton products manager.
“We continue to bring varieties to cotton growers that offer top-end yield and fiber quality potential, coupled with the leading technologies in the industry.”
In Centre, Ala., Deltapine NPE grower Nick McMichen says DP 1725 B2XF reminds him of the old DP 1137 B2RF variety, very vigorous but one that’s easy to manage with plant growth regulators. The new Class of 17 Bollgard II XtendFlex variety stood out in his NPE plots and drew attention in the field and at the gin.
“It was an outstanding variety, picking over 3 bales to the acre in my plot,” McMichen says. “It was lights out a really good variety. It handled stress at that extra level, because we had some tough growing conditions and it held up extremely well. It did not disappoint in yield and fiber grades. I will definitely have it in my program in 2017.”
Since it began in 2008, the Deltapine NPE Program has become the cotton industry’s premier field evaluation program, resulting in the commercialization of some of the top-planted varieties by growing region across the Belt. For more on Deltapine cotton varieties and the NPE Program, visit www.deltapine.com. Photos, videos, agronomic tips and more can be found on Twitter (@Deltapine) and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Deltapine.
Deltapine contributed this article.