As cotton producers across the Belt prepare to make planting decisions for the 2013 season, Deltapine has added three new seed varieties to its lineup. The announcement was made at the company’s New Product Evaluator (NPE) summit last month at the downtown Hilton Hotel in Nashville, Tenn.
More than 200 farmers showed up for the event, which gave attendees a chance to learn more about the new varieties during a question-and-answer session with Deltapine officials. This is the fifth year for the NPE program, which allows Deltapine to commercialize cotton varieties after first giving producers a chance to plant them in large-acreage on-farm trials in specific regions of the Belt.
In an announcement that has implications for nearly every region of the Belt, the new varieties being launched are: DP 1311 B2RF, DP 1321 B2RF and DP 1359 B2RF.
Deltapine officials stress that these three new varieties will complement existing Deltapine varieties such as DP 1044 B2RF, DP 1219 B2RF and DP 1252 B2RF.
Here is a breakdown on the new varieties and their fit in regions across the Belt:
Positive Reaction To Varieties’ Performance
Echoing the comments of many who attended the NPE event, Texas producer Steve Chapman says he is encouraged by the new varieties being added to the Deltapine lineup for 2013.
“We have so many issues that we are dealing with in West Texas, and I like what I see in these new varieties,” he says. “I definitely think they’ll help us grow better cotton.”
Chapman is particularly interested in DP 1321 B2RF and DP 1359 B2RF. He is already speculating that one or both of these varieties could become the industry standard in West Texas.
Deltapine marketing lead Dave Rhylander says the NPE program has grown each year since its beginning five years ago. He says it has proven to be an effective vehicle for evaluating potential new varieties.
“It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come in five years with this program,” he says. “Producer participation has increased, and the crowds have gotten bigger each year for this event.”
While each of the three varieties launched has a particular fit, many attendees were still reacting to reports of how DP 1359 B2RF performed in arid climates in Arizona and West Texas. Jerry Rovey of Buckeye, Ariz., has grown the variety for two straight years, producing seven-bale yields in 2011 and four bales in 2012.
For more information about Deltapine varieties, interested parties can visit www.deltapine.com.
Deltapine contributed information for this article.