The annual Seed Variety Guide is published in the November issue of Cotton Farming. Cottonseed companies from across the Cotton Belt provide information about their headliners for the upcoming season to assist growers in making varietal choices.
Some of the companies also release more varieties after they review the past season’s data from their own trials as well as grower-managed on-farm trials in different regions. This year, BASF, PhytoGen and Bayer have advanced additional varieties to their 2021 rosters.
Here is the information the cottonseed companies provided for consideration.
BASF
BASF has added three new cottonseed varieties to its cotton portfolio. Based on input from on-farm testing through BASF Agronomic Performance Trials and other company research, it will launch one new FiberMax cottonseed variety and two new dicamba-tolerant Stoneville cottonseed varieties for the 2021 season.
“Our cotton growers deserve the very best, which is why we only release varieties that meet our standards of quality and performance,” says Malin Westfall, head of U.S. cotton business at BASF. “We tested across the Cotton Belt, all soil types, management types and growing conditions. Of our seven experimental candidates, three of our varieties were found to bring significant value to our growers.”
Both of the new Stoneville varieties are tolerant to Liberty, Engenia and glyphosate herbicides. All three new varieties provide three-gene lepidopteran resistance, helping growers manage yield-robbing worms.
The new 2021 BASF cottonseed varieties are:
FM 1730GLTP
• Very early maturity suited for the Southwest.
• Very good root-knot nematode tolerance.
• Good Verticillium wilt tolerance.
“FM 1730GLTP is a new GlyTol/Liberty Link/Twinlink Plus variety that possesses excellent fiber quality and tolerance to root-knot nematodes, which will improve its fit across a number of acres in the Southern High Plains,” says Dr. Kenny Melton, western region agronomic manager for BASF. “This variety performed well across the entire Southwest, performing even better in the shorter growing seasons of the Texas Panhandle.”
ST 4993B3XF
• Easy-to-manage crop across the Cotton Belt with early to mid-maturity.
• Potential high-yield variety.
• Resistant to bacterial blight.
• Offers good storm tolerance.
ST 5091B3XF
• New potential high-yield variety suited for the Eastern Cotton Belt and South and East Texas.
• Offers a strong fiber package.
• Good plant type for all soils.
“ST 4993B3XF was a strong performer across the entire Belt, especially in West Texas,” Melton says. “The bacterial blight resistance will be a welcome addition to the Stoneville portfolio in areas where that disease has been an issue.
“Potential high yields over multiple locations, soil types, and management styles led to the commercial release of ST 5091B3XF. This new variety delivers high-yield potential for cotton producers in the Eastern United States, along with South and East Texas, and provides growers another Stoneville variety option along with the proven performance of ST 4990B3XF.”
To learn more about the best cottonseed varieties for your field, talk with your BASF representative or visit FiberMax.com or Stoneville.com.
PhytoGen
PhytoGen cottonseed, the U.S. cottonseed brand of Corteva Agriscience, plans to introduce three new high-performing, high-yielding Upland varieties for 2021. Two of the three feature the cottonseed industry’s first trait for reniform nematode resistance. Stacked with the PhytoGen Breeding Trait for root-knot nematode resistance, the two varieties are set to deliver the best in-plant nematode protection package in the market.
“The introduction of reniform nematode resistance marks another significant milestone toward protecting the exceptional yield potential of PhytoGen varieties,” says Joel Faircloth, U.S. cotton portfolio manager for PhytoGen cottonseed.
All three new W3FE varieties contain PhytoGen Breeding Traits for bacterial blight and root-knot nematode resistance, in addition to a strong fiber quality and yield package. PhytoGen W3FE varieties also provide growers with flexible and effective weed control options with tolerances to Enlist, Liberty (glufosinate) and glyphosate herbicides.
“We are committed to offering broadly adapted products to the farmer that maximize their opportunity for success,” Faircloth says. “While our varieties are advanced primarily on yield potential, our breeding team continually incorporates yield-stabilizing traits into those elite genetics.”
The PhytoGen Horizon Network of cotton producers has evaluated these new products for two years. Based on their feedback and the performance in PhytoGen cotton development specialists’ on-farm trials across the Cotton Belt, the team advanced the following varieties:
PHY 332 W3FE
• Early mid-maturing variety.
• Exceptional yield potential and fiber quality.
• Broadly adapted medium to tall plant.
• Tolerant to Verticillium wilt.
• Resistant to bacterial blight, reniform nematodes and root-knot nematodes.
PHY 443 W3FE
• Mid-maturing variety.
• Great fiber quality and strong yield potential.
• Broadly adapted taller plant.
• Resistant to bacterial blight, reniform nematodes and root-knot nematodes.
PHY 545 W3FE
• Mid- to full-maturing variety tested on farms since 2019.
• Exceptional performance in lower Southeast trials.
• Maturity falls between PHY 500 W3FE and PHY 580 W3FE.
• Resistant to bacterial blight and root-knot nematode.
For the latest data and more information about PhytoGen brand varieties and the PhytoGen Breeding Traits that can help you thrive, go to PhytoGen.com, or join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter.
Bayer
Two new Bollgard 3 XtendFlex cotton varieties with resistance to both reniform and root-knot nematodes are highlights of the Deltapine Class of ’21 cotton varieties.
“The Class of ’20 varieties set the bar so high that I expected it to be tough to advance many candidates out of New Product Evaluator for the Class of ’21,” says Keylon Gholston, Deltapine cotton products manager. “However, two varieties that advanced for the Class of ’21 — DP 2115 B3XF and DP 2127 B3XF — stood out from a performance perspective, showing potential to yield above DP 1646 B2XF and the Class of ’20 varieties.”
Two nematode-resistant Bollgard 3 XtendFlex cotton varieties showing resistance to reniform and root-knot nematodes — one for the southern United States and one for the Mid-South and Texas — were also named to the Deltapine Class of ’21.
“These two new varieties — DP 2141NR B3XF and DP 2143NR B3XF — give us beltwide coverage for growers who have fields with reniform or root-knot nematode pressure,” Gholston says. “Both of these varieties demonstrated very competitive yield potential on non-nematode fields, but especially shined under nematode pressure.”
With DP 2123 B3XF, Deltapine brings another DryTough cotton variety into the West Texas market in the Class of ’21. This variety for the Northern High Plains has a larger seed size, demonstrated excellent seedling vigor and stand establishment potential, and showed very competitive yield potential under light and moderate water irrigation capacities.
The five new Deltapine Class of ’21 varieties were evaluated by NPE growers located in all regions of the Cotton Belt. The results of the growers’ large-acre variety plots and their feedback on management and performance were instrumental in determining the Class of ’21.
“This class of cotton varieties continues the Deltapine tradition of developing new products and taking them to market after having been proven by growers,” Gholston says. “We thank the many NPE growers whose hard work and dedication to this program helps bring new cotton varieties to the market for all U.S. producers.”
Here are the Deltapine Class of ’21 cotton varieties:
DP 2115 B3XF
• Early maturity Bollgard 3 XtendFlex variety.
• Outstanding yield potential in NPE plots.
• Good storm tolerance.
DP 2123 B3XF
• Early to mid-maturity Bollgard 3 XtendFlex variety.
• Performed under heat and drought stress.
• Strong seedling vigor.
DP 2127 B3XF
• Early to mid-maturity Bollgard 3 XtendFlex variety.
• Solid performance in NPE plots across the Belt.
• High yield potential.
DP 2141NR B3XF
• Mid- to full-maturity Bollgard 3 XtendFlex variety
• Resistant to both reniform and root-knot nematodes.
• Outstanding yield potential.
DP 2143NR B3XF
• Mid- to full-maturity Bollgard 3 XtendFlex variety.
• Resistant to reniform and root-knot nematodes.
• Moderate tolerance to Verticillium wilt.
For more about the Deltapine NPE Program, visit Deltapine.com/NPE.