D&PL Adds to Class of ’09
March 13, 2009 Monsanto Company announced its D&PL business will market five new varieties as the Deltapine Class of ‘09 for the coming production season. These varieties, which offer the latest improvements in yield potential and technology, were introduced during the 2009 Beltwide Cotton Conferences in San Antonio.
Two ‘09 varieties ― DP 0924 B2RF and DP 0935 ― were introduced earlier at field days across the Cotton Belt. They will be joined by DP 0912 B2RF, DP 0920 B2RF and DP 0949 B2RF. D&PL says all five showed excellent yield potential across hundreds of test locations during the 2008 season. The Class of ‘09 varieties are all stacked with the Bollgard II and Roundup Ready Flex traits.
“There is an excitement that comes from introducing improvements that will help our farmers produce more,” said Dr. Robbert Fraley, Monsanto chief technology officer. “The excitement with the Class of ‘09 comes partly from the data showing a new standard in on-farm yield and value performance. But there is also a real excitement around the Class of ‘09 because more than 100 farmers experienced first-hand the increased yield potential on their farms. We anticipate this excitement continuing, as the Class of ‘09 is the latest in a series of gains we are driving through breeding and technology as we seek to double yields by 2030.”
Increasing Profits
Dr. Dave Albers, Monsanto cotton germplasm development lead, said increasing yields is a primary way to increase cotton’s on-farm profitability.
“In our testing of the Class of ‘09 varieties, we have captured yield data and followed that through fiber quality testing,” Albers explained. “Across the Belt, these varieties out-yielded market standards like DP 555 BG/RR and ST 4554B2RF, which have been cited as the top planted varieties by the USDA. Once we got gin receipts and fiber data, we saw that crop values were also higher than the market standards of any of the commercial varieties tested.”
Wellington, TX, farmer Tony Cox was able to look at four Class of ‘09 varieties. With yields of 3½ to 4 bales per acre in each of those varieties, Cox says he looks forward to planting some of those varieties again in 2009 as they are commercialized.
In Georgia, Tony Lasseter, who farms near Moultrie, had three Class of ‘09 varieties ― DP 0924 B2RF, DP 0920 B2RF and DP 0935 B2RF ― that beat DP 555 BG/RR, which had commanded the biggest share of Lasseter’s farm for the past five years. DP 920 B2RF and DP 0935 B2RF outperformed “Triple Nickel” by approximately 200 pounds on his farm.
Mount and Mount Farms in Friendship, TN, had four Class of ‘09 varieties that outperformed ST 4554 B2RF. The Mounts saw advantages from approximately 100 pounds per acre to more than 350 pounds per acre over the local standard.
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