Cotton producers can expect the commercial availability of 15 new cotton varieties this year. Here is the roundup of the newest technology, improved fiber quality and storm-tolerance ratings. 

Armor Seed 

In 2024, Armor Seed adds a new Bollgard 3 ThryvOn XtendFlex variety, Armor 9383 B3TXF. This variety features Bayer’s ThryvOn trait technology to protect plants from key tarnished plant bugs and thrips. Armor 9383 B3TXF is well adapted for upper Midsouth growers. 

Kyle Barker, market development agronomist at Winfield United, looks forward to the commercial release of Armor 9383 B3TXF. Barker said, “This variety has outstanding early vigor combined with excellent mid-season boll protection from tarnished plant bugs.” 

Like other varieties containing the ThryvOn trait, Barker recommends placing 9383 B3TXF in areas where a farmer may not be able to quickly respond to thrips and plant bugs. 

Armor Seed noted that variety 9413 XF was a limited release in 2023, and growers can expect a full commercial launch in 2024. 9413 XF comes with the XtendFlex trait package, resistance to bacterial blight, and moderate tolerance to verticillium wilt.  

9413 XF is a larger seed that provides dependable seedling emergence. Growers like Regan Ware of Cone, Texas, approve of the variety’s good vigor and storm tolerance ratings.  

Related:New cotton varieties give growers options

Ware has grown test plots for Armor the past seven years.  

Americot 

This year, Americot expands its portfolio. All new releases come with the Bollgard 3 XtendFlex added value trait, and the range of maturities and adaptations provide options for producers across the Cotton Belt. 

Americot’s NexGen 4405 B3TXF is a mid-maturing variety that includes the new ThryvOn trait technology. It is suited for Midsouth cotton production, broadly adapted with excellent fiber quality. 

NG 4405 B3TXF also boasts good vigor with an open canopy plant structure, and the variety holds the same yield classification in internal trial performance as Americot’s flagship variety, NG 3195 B3XF. 

Another release adapted for the Midsouth is NG 3457 B3XF. With an early to mid-maturity, it is suited for the early cotton market. NG 3457 B3XF is a wide, short statured plant with excellent vigor and outstanding fiber quality. 

Because of its stature, NG 3457 B3XF is recommended on productive ground and can be grown in both dryland and irrigated systems. 

For Texas cotton producers, Americot introduces NG 4409 B3XF and NG 3434 B3XF. 

NG 4409 B3XF is an early to medium maturity, suited for producers across sandy soils of the Texas Plains. NG 4409 B3XF comes with bacterial blight resistance, good storm tolerance, and an excellent fiber package. 

Related:ThryvOn technology: Changing the way we manage cotton

NG 3434 B3XF is another variety suited for the Texas Plains and adapted to perform in a range of scenarios. It is an early maturing variety with storm tolerance and fair tolerance to verticillium wilt. NG 3434 B3XF also offers excellent yield potential and fiber quality. 

For Southeast and Mid-Atlantic producers, Americot introduces NG 4414 B3XF. This mid-maturing variety comes with excellent fiber quality and high-yield potential. NG 4414 B3XF is described as an aggressively growing variety with good performance in trials across the Carolinas. 

NG 5430 B3XF is a true full-season variety with high-stress tolerance and good PGR response.  

NG 5430 B3XF is described as big and growthy, with outstanding yield potential and excellent fiber quality. 

Deltapine 

Deltapine releases two varieties in 2024, based on grower evaluation through the company’s New Product Evaluator (NPE) program. Each is a Bollgard 3 XtendFlex variety containing the ThryvOn biotechnology trait that protects plants from key tarnished plant bugs and thrips. 

The performance of DP 2414 B3TXF achieved a 76% approval rating from NPE growers. It is ideal for producers in early season markets looking to add ThryvOn protection, suited for those in the northern upper Midsouth, upper Southeast, Carolinas, and some areas in Texas.  

DP 2414 B3TXF also comes with improved storm tolerance compared to DP 2211 B3TXF, and it is a good companion to Deltapine varieties 2115 B3XF or 2211 B3TXF.  

For Texas producers, Deltapine releases DP 2436NR B3TXF. This variety was primarily tested in West Texas, receiving an 89% approval rating from NPE growers. DP 2436NR B3TXF is a mid- to full-maturing variety with root-knot nematode resistance paired with the ThryvOn trait technology. 

DP 2436NR B3TXF also includes resistance to bacterial blight and moderate tolerance to verticillium wilt. 

Both varieties in the Deltapine 2024 class are commercially available in introductory quantities. Deltapine Cotton Product Manager Eric Best commented on seed availability this year. 

“As with any other new class, there are always introductory quantities. The broader the fit, typically the more we have to spread out. 2414 will probably be spread out across the Belt and 2436 will probably be in West Texas, South Texas, and Central Texas.” 

PhytoGen 

In 2024, PhytoGen releases two Upland cotton varieties with what U.S. Cotton Portfolio Manager Joel Faircloth describes as the strongest portfolio that PhytoGen has offered in more than 40 years. 

PHY 137 W3E1 is an early to mid-maturing variety, ideal for Southwest growers, specifically in South Texas. The variety offers excellent fiber quality and has achieved outstanding production in both dryland and irrigated trials. 

PHY 137 W3FE1 comes with genetic resistance to root-knot nematode and bacterial blight. The W3E1 trait package provides the combined protection of Enlist and WideStrike3. 

PhytoGen also releases PHY 475 W3FE. This mid- to full-season variety is tailored to Southeast cotton production, especially in Georgia and touts consistent high-yielding performance in both drought and hurricane conditions. 

PHY 475 W3FE is described as easy-to-manage and resistant to bacterial blight along with root-knot and reniform nematodes. 

Faircloth said, “PHY 137 W3E1 and PHY 474 W3FE are proof that PhytoGen grand varieties continue to get better and better, bringing yield-raising potential to cotton farmers and adding value to their operations.” 

BASF 

In 2024, BASF announces a robust portfolio with four new varieties, three FiberMax and one Stoneville. All new additions include the newly approved Axant trait technology. 

FiberMax 765AX comes with the Axant Flex trait package and is designed for producers in the High Plains region of the Cotton Belt. FM 765AX is an early- to-mid-maturing variety characterized by high gin turnout potential and storm tolerance. 

FM 765AX comes with resistance to bacterial blight and root-knot nematode and is tolerant to verticillium wilt. 

Another FiberMax variety, FM 868AXTP, is medium-maturing and includes the Axant Flex TwinLink Plus trait package. FM 868AXTP is suited for producers in the Southwest and far west regions.  

The larger seed of FM 868AXTP offers excellent emergence and early season vigor along with outstanding storm tolerance. FM 868AXTP also provides root-knot nematode resistance and three-gene lepidopteran resistance. 

FiberMax 823AXTP is a medium-maturing variety built with the Axant Flex TwinLink Plus trait package, ideal for producers in the high plains and rolling plains of Texas and Oklahoma as well as the far west regions.  

The variety also offers storm tolerance and high gin turnout potential with a strong disease package. FM 823AXTP includes resistance to bacterial blight, root-knot nematode, and lepidopteran along with tolerance to verticillium wilt. 

For Stoneville growers, BASF releases ST 6000AXTP. With medium to full maturity, this variety is suitable across the Cotton Belt and comes with the Axant Flex TwinLink Plus trait technology.  

ST 6000AXTP provides resistance to bacterial blight, root-knot nematode and three-gene lepidopteran in addition to producing excellent fiber quality with high gin turnout potential.