The 2015 planting season will be here before we know it. Reviewing on-farm field performance provides a preview of how a variety will perform in different fields and environments.
“Whether it’s Official Variety Trials (OVTs) or university data, we recommend looking at performance over time and in multiple locations,” says Dr. Chris Main, PhytoGen cotton development specialist for the upper Midsouth.
Ultimately, it’s yield results that lead the decision on which cottonseed varieties a grower chooses to plant. Performance data from 2015 is showing that the PhytoGen offering is setting new standards for quality and yield.
Top performer wins variety trials
Although PhytoGen brand PHY 499 WRF continues to be one of PhytoGen’s strongest performers, PHY 333 WRF is coming on strong, providing high yields and a lower micronaire value. PHY 333 WRF can be planted anytime in the northern Delta during cotton-planting season for consistently high yields.
Head-to-head data from the northern Delta shows performance of leading varieties in OVTs and on-farm trials from the University of Missouri and the University of Tennessee (Figure 1). In 2014 trials, PhytoGen® brand PHY 333 WRF yielded 122 pounds above average compared with four competitors.
“PHY 333 WRF is an early maturity variety that can be grown across different soil types and irrigation practices,” Dr. Main says. “The data show that PHY 333 WRF consistently outperforms the competition year over year.”
In the lower Midsouth, Dr. Brooks Blanche, PhytoGen cotton development specialist, says PHY 333 WRF is a variety for top-performing acreage. The variety was the overall top performer in lint yield among 10 competitors in 2014 Mississippi State University (MSU) On-farm Variety Trials. The MSU study tested varieties in several on-farm environments. PHY 333 WRF yielded highest in the trial averaged across 14 locations (Figure 2).
“PHY 333 WRF is demonstrating that it’s an excellent fit on highly productive Delta soils,” Dr. Blanche says. “It responds well to inputs and irrigation; this is the variety for your high-performing soils.”
Industry-leading nematode resistance
Also this year, PhytoGen introduced the first-of-its kind RKN protection with dual-gene resistance to cotton root knot nematode in PHY 427 WRF, an early maturing variety adapted for stress ground. The short-season variety features strong yield potential and fiber qualities.
For the full lineup of new and returning PhytoGen brand varieties, go to PhytoGenYields.com.
®PhytoGen is a trademark of PhytoGen Seed Company, LLC. ®WideStrike is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow. PhytoGen Seed Company is a joint venture between Mycogen Corporation, an affiliate of Dow AgroSciences LLC, and the J.G. Boswell Company.
