PhytoGen Releasing First Enlist Cotton Variety for 2016

PhytoGen is releasing the first cottonseed variety with the Enlist cotton trait for the 2016 growing season.

The new variety – PhytoGen brand PHY 490 W3FE – is built on proven PhytoGen genetics and provides tolerance to Enlist Duo herbicide – a proprietary blend of 2,4-D choline and glyphosate – as well as full tolerance to glufosinate.

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Enlist Duo with Colex-D technology will be the only 2,4-D-containing product labeled for in-crop use with Enlist cotton. The product is not yet registered for use on cotton.

Also stacked with Genuity Roundup Ready Flex and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection, PHY 490 W3FE will allow growers to employ additional weed control options in a variety with proven yield potential and without crop response concerns. In addition to these attributes, PHY 490 W3FE also provides native resistance to bacterial blight.

“As part of the Enlist weed control system, the Enlist cotton trait represents the most innovative advancement in weed control technology for the cotton industry,” says Hank King, U.S. marketing leader for PhytoGen cottonseed. “Cotton growers have been following and understand the importance of the new Enlist cotton technology and are anxious to plant PhytoGen varieties with the Enlist trait on cotton acres throughout the Cotton Belt.

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“Planting PHY 490 W3FE with its tolerance to multiple herbicide modes of action will help growers as they strive to do their part to curb herbicide-resistant weeds,” adds King. “And growers feel great about that. By planting PHY 490 W3FE, growers don’t have to choose between yield and a herbicide-tolerant technology.”

PHY 490 W3FE is built on the proven PhytoGen genetics of PHY 499 WRF. The decision to incorporate the Enlist cotton trait into the PHY 499 germplasm was twofold, 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 the U.S. 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.”

Pellow cites additional factors for the introduction of the first variety with the Enlist cotton trait specific to the science and due diligence required to incorporate new traits into existing germplasm. A lot of advance work is required to ensure that the trait is characterized well, while maintaining the integrity of the existing germplasm and PhytoGen’s standard of elite genetics.

“The process doesn’t happen overnight,” says Pellow. “We won’t bring new technology to growers in varieties that don’t meet PhytoGen yield and quality standards.”

“Years of planning have gone into the introduction,” says King. “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.”

Several additional PhytoGen brand varieties with the Enlist cotton trait are scheduled to follow in 2017.

King 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.

 

Source – PhytoGen

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