Deltapine Captures Largest Acreage Footprint in U.S. in 2017
November 10, 2017 It’s not unheard of for a Deltapine brand seed to be on top of the USDA annual Cotton Varieties Planted report. In fact, the 2017 version featured one such variety so universally popular that it drew comparisons to a Deltapine staple from more than a decade ago.
DP 1646 B2XF was planted far and wide throughout the Cotton Belt in 2017, accounting for nearly 15% of all acres in the country, and a full 33% of the Southeast market. It was enough to remind many longtime cotton producers of the wildly popular DP 555 BG/RR, which gobbled up comparably wide swaths of acreage in its time.
“It’s even more broadly adapted than Triple Nickel because Triple Nickel stayed late no matter where you planted it,” says Keylon Gholston, Deltapine cotton product manager. “This one will go further north in the Belt than Triple Nickel ever did. It’s very responsive to PGR management, and with heavier PGR management it tends to get earlier.”
But when it comes to the variety’s popularity, Gholston says there’s a lot to love about DP 1646 B2XF.
“The characteristics that growers really like about DP 1646 is, first of all, yield. It certainly has high yield potential under good growing conditions with good water – it can knock out those top end yields. But it also has a high level of indeterminacy and stress tolerance, so if Mother Nature doesn’t bless you with those best weather conditions, it’s still at the top of the yield comparisons, even under low-yield conditions. In addition, it has an excellent fiber quality package, especially staple length. So we’re seeing that fiber bring a premium in the market place as well.”
Gholston is also excited about the early results he’s seen out of DP 1725 B2XF, one that he says has yielded on par with DP 1646 B2XF. It is well-liked across the Cotton Belt, he says.
Deltapine also had two other varieties – DP 1518 B2XF and DP 1522 B2XF – round out the top 5 varieties planted across the United States, according to USDA.
“DP 1518 B2XF and DP 1614 B2XF in the North Delta have both done a really good job, and of course DP 1522 B2XF goes across that northern end of the Belt really well – a tough and rugged variety that growers have adopted and really come to depend upon on those tougher soil types,” Gholston says.
Deltapine held on to an impressive 22% of the coveted Southwest cotton market, a statistic that Gholston attributes to the company’s water research efforts in the region.
“We’re really beginning to see the fruition of that research and develop some varieties that just perform excellently in the High Plains as well as East Texas,” he says. “When you look at Texas specifically, you’ve got to talk about DP 1549 B2XF. It has a good level of indeterminacy, and its water usage rate is extremely good so it’s great on that dryland or light water acre. But it does really well when you get good rainfall or you plant it on acres where you have more water.
“The variety I’m really excited about in Texas is DP 1612 B2XF – it’s had a really good year. It has early maturity and it’s the plant type that you really like on that High Plains acre. It’s easy to manage, with excellent yield potential and good fiber property.”
Gholston says Deltapine has an exciting trait pipeline. The Deltapine New Product Evaluator program, in its tenth season, is currently evaluating varieties featuring the Bollgard 3 insect protection trait, according to Gholston.
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