By Jessica Domel
News Editor
A new cotton variety expected to help farmers battle weed resistance and expand yield protection is being planted first in the Lone Star State.
Dean Hansen of El Campo is the first farmer in North America to plant PhytoGen’s PHY 490 W3FE with the Enlist cotton trait.
“I’m excited to be on the forefront of a new weed control system that will offer us an effective, alternative control of resistance weeds,” Hansen said.
According to PhytoGen, an affiliate of Dow AgroSciences, the Enlist trait builds upon the Roundup Ready Flex system and provides tolerance to the Enlist Duo herbicide, which is a proprietary blend of 2,4-D choline and glyphosate.
The Enlist cotton trait also provides full tolerance to glufosinate.
The new variety is expected to provide farmers like Hansen with additional herbicide options when planting cotton. It also includes traits that provide more robust control of cotton bollworm and other pests.
In addition, the variety provides native resistance to bacterial blight, according to PhytoGen.
“Quality counts,” Hansen said. “You have to go with quality when (cotton) prices are lower. It makes a lot of difference in the bottom line. We always want to put seed in the ground that’s going to grow and perform in whatever environmental conditions we face.”
The new variety is built on the genetics of PHY 499 WRF and incorporates the Enlist cotton trait, according to John Pellow, PhytoGen global breeding leader for cotton.
“Certainly, consistent proven yield potential was a major factor,” says Pellow. “But more so, the amazing thing about PHY 499 WRF is that the variety is so broadly adapted—it performs very well in a broad range of soils, growing conditions and farming practices. PHY 499 WRF was the number one planted variety in three of the past four years. Its proven adaptability will allow us to offer this new variety to more growers in all regions of the Cotton Belt.”
The process to improve upon PHY 499 WRF didn’t happen overnight. Years of planning went into the introduction of the seed.
“While our goal is to bring new traits to the market as quickly as possible, it’s important to understand the process can’t be rushed,” Pellow said. PhytoGen will offer PHY 490 W3FE as the first variety with the Enlist cotton trait in 2016, with several additional PhytoGen brand varieties with the Enlist cotton trait to follow in 2017.
Hank King, U.S. leader for PhytoGen cottonseed, says cotton growers should evaluate all varieties carefully for the 2016 season, including consideration for U.S. Department of Agriculture loan values and performance trends in Official Variety Trial data.