US: New Bayer varieties focus on high yield, adaptability

Five new Bayer varieties will be available in limited quantities for 2018 planting.

“Choosing the right variety for the right field to harvest the right yield is paramount to successfully managing a cotton crop,” says Jason Wistehuff, Bayer product manager for FiberMax and Stoneville cotton. “We give growers the options they need to choose the right variety for each field. These new varieties combine with our existing variety lineup to ground the season in sound science. Growers apply their management skills to these variety options to make the right choices for their farm.”

The new FiberMax varieties for 2018 are:

• FM 2498GLT. This semi-smooth, medium maturity variety offers excellent yield potential, bacterial blight resistance and very good fiber quality potential. The variety is widely adaptable forse in the High Plains, Rolling Plains, Oklahoma, South Texas and East Texas.
   
• FM 2574GLT. Bred for dryland production on the Rolling Plains, this medium maturity variety offers outstanding fiber potential and excellent yield potential, plus bacterial blight resistance and very good Verticillium wilt tolerance. This smooth-leaf variety also offers high gin turnout.

New Stoneville varieties for 2018 are:

• ST 5471GLTP. Broadly adapted for the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Delta and South Texas, this new variety offers outstanding yield potential and exceptional quality along with the three-gene insect protection of TwinLink Plus. Resistance to bacterial blight and very good tolerance to Verticillium wilt helps ensure this smooth-leaf variety starts and grows strong.
   
• ST 5818GLT. With excellent yield potential and exceptional quality, this smooth-leaf variety offers dryland growers very good early-season vigor and stable performance in a mid- to full maturity environment. This variety is adapted to the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Delta and South Texas.
   
• ST 5122GLT. A fast starter, this smooth-leaf variety delivers outstanding yield potential and fiber quality, early- to mid-maturity, and very good tolerance to Verticillium It is widely adapted to the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Delta, East Texas and Northern Rolling Plains of Texas.

“Our variety lineup is proof of our commitment to deliver varieties with the high yield potential, premium quality, herbicide tolerance and disease and insect resistance growers need to choose the right seed for the right field,” Wistehuff says. “Growers need high-performing varieties to set the stage for a successful season.”

Each of the five new varieties offers proven, flexible weed management from LibertyLink and GlyTol.

Liberty herbicide, used in an effective herbicide program in LibertyLink crops, has been proven to provide effective broad-spectrum control of challenging weeds, including weed species resistant to other herbicides, such as Palmer amaranth (pigweed), marestail, morningglory, kochia and annual grasses. GlyTol provides the flexibility of over-the-top glyphosate herbicide treatment and delivers proven crop safety to various glyphosate formulations with no impact on yield, quality or plant height.

TwinLink and TwinLink Plus traits provide Bt protection against major lepidopteran pests such as tobacco budworm, cotton bollworm, pink bollworm and beet armyworm. TwinLink offers two-gene protection. TwinLink Plus provides three-gene protection, which increases resistance management and decreases the likelihood that a crop will need to be treated for worms.

Growers can learn more about these varieties by contacting a member of their Bayer team or by visiting FiberMax.com and Stoneville.com.