Yield Drives Texas Grower to Stoneville Varieties
May 21, 2009 Cotton growers constantly look for ways to improve yield and profitability, and variety selection is one of the most important decisions they make each year.
For three years, Stoneville cotton has been the top choice for growers who plant Bollgard II/Roundup Ready Flex varieties. ST 4554B2RF has been the most widely planted Bollgard II/Roundup Ready Flex variety across the Cotton Belt, and growers trust ST 4554B2RF for strong emergence, excellent yield and manageability. Newer Stoneville varieties build on this performance expectation.
In 2008, Russell Cox produced his highest yield ever with ST 4554B2RF. On an irrigated 60-acre field in Lamesa, Texas, he averaged more than four bales an acre. Cox didn’t plant his crop until May 20 due to wind and lack of moisture, and he believes strong emergence and early season vigor helped overcome the late start.
“One of the most important things I look at when choosing a variety is seedling vigor, and this has some of the best seedling vigor that I have ever seen,” Cox said. “When it is up and growing, it is on its way to making cotton. These newer Stoneville varieties consistently get out of the ground very quickly.”
Throughout the season, Cox followed Best Management Practices by keeping the field clean, irrigating with about 1.5 inches of water a week and adding nitrogen through his center-pivot.
“It just made cotton – it was perfect,” Cox said. “ST 4554B2RF has always been consistent for me and has worked really well on my farm. It doesn’t really matter if it is a good year, a dry year, a wet year or whatever. It just makes cotton.”
This year Cox, who farms with his wife Traci, chose ST 5458B2RF to plant on part of his farm. Released in 2008, ST 5458B2RF is a mid-maturing variety with exceptional yield potential that led across the Cotton Belt last year in Official Variety Trials and Bayer CropScience Cotton Agronomic Performance (CAP) trials.
Jeff Brehmer, U.S. marketing manager for Stoneville cotton, encourages growers to trial new Stoneville varieties on their farms and visit area CAP trials during the growing season. He believes these new Stoneville varieties raise the bar that ST 4554B2RF previously set for Bollgard II/Roundup Ready Flex varieties.
“Stoneville brings new commercial varieties to market after careful evaluation of breeding trials, CAP trials and OVTs to determine that these varieties exceed the standards set by our currently available offerings,” Brehmer said. “The performance and adaptability of our newer Stoneville varieties like ST 5458B2RF have been impressive across the Cotton Belt, and CAP trials offer growers the opportunity to see these varieties in their local area.”
For more information on new Stoneville varieties, contact your local Bayer CropScience representative or visit www.CottonExperts.com.
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