PhytoGen cottonseed expands portfolio with two new varieties - New W3E1 and W3FE varieties bring next-level yield potential

PhytoGen^® cottonseed, the U.S. cottonseed brand of Corteva Agriscience, announces two new varieties offering producers proven high-yield potential in key cotton-growing regions. PhytoGen^® brand PHY 137 W3E1 and PhytoGen^® brand PHY 475 W3FE will be available for the 2024 season.

PHY 137 W3E1 and PHY 475 W3FE add diversity to the current PhytoGen portfolio and will complement current varieties that have led official variety trials and on-farm trials in recent years.

″Yield potential and consistency are the words that describe PhytoGen brand varieties for 2024 — the strongest portfolio that PhytoGen has offered in more than 40 years,″ said U.S. Cotton Portfolio Manager Joel Faircloth, Ph.D. ″PHY 137 W3E1 and PHY 475 W3FE are proof that PhytoGen brand varieties continue to get better and better, bringing yield-raising potential to cotton farmers and adding value to their operations.″

PHY 137 W3E1 is an early- to mid-maturing Upland variety for the southwest Cotton Belt with built-in genetic resistance to root-knot nematodes and bacterial blight. It features the W3E1 trait package that combines the Enlist^® cotton trait and WideStrike^® 3 Insect Protection, giving cotton producers the choice to customize their weed-management program and save on input costs if they do not need a glyphosate-tolerant trait.

Growers can apply Enlist One^® herbicide and glufosinate herbicides for over-the-top weed control, as well as pre- and postemergence herbicides labeled for cotton that do not contain glyphosate. 

PhytoGen Cotton Development Specialist Brad Hopkins, Ph.D., said PHY 137 W3E1 is an ideal fit for South Texas, where he conducted trials with the variety for the past two years.

″PHY 137 W3E1 is one of our highest-yielding varieties for the Southwest market. Its performance led many of my trials in 2023 across South Texas, with irrigated yields as high as 4 bales per acre,″ Hopkins said. ″It also offers the best fiber quality package in our portfolio. PHY 137 W3E1 really shined in drought conditions last season, producing outstanding staple lengths and yielding strong results on dryland and irrigated fields.″

PHY 475 W3FE is a mid- to full-season Upland variety tailored to the unique agronomic needs of the Southeast, especially in Georgia. It’s an easy-to-manage variety with resistance to root-knot and reniform nematodes, as well as bacterial blight. The W3FE trait packages offers growers the option to control weeds with over-the-top applications of Enlist^® herbicides, glufosinate and glyphosate.

In PhytoGen Innovation Trials throughout the Southeast last year, PHY 475 W3FE showed consistent, high-yielding performance during a season full of obstacles, including drought and Hurricane Idalia in late August. Russell Nuti, Ph.D., PhytoGen Cotton Development Specialist for Georgia and Alabama, said PHY 475 W3FE withstood the challenges and proved to be a great addition for Southeast producers.

″Last season gave us a really good look at PHY 475 W3FE, because we experienced diverse challenges from planting through harvest. It consistently rose above those conditions to stand out in our on-farm trials,″ Nuti said. ″PHY 475 W3FE is a great complement to Southeast favorites, such as PHY 400 W3FE and PHY 411 W3FE, especially for growers who want a slightly fuller maturity that can bring even more pounds to the irrigated acre.″

Faircloth emphasized the important role of these new varieties, and the PhytoGen portfolio as a whole, as producers continue to strive for consistency, top-end production and higher profit potential in uncertain times. Growers can mitigate risk with varieties bred for reliability.

″Increasingly challenging outside factors are impacting today’s farm — many beyond a producer’s control,″ Faircloth said. ″Planting varieties you have confidence in, products that you can count on, is one way to take some risk out of the equation. That’s what PhytoGen brand varieties bring to your operation.″

About PhytoGen

For more than 40 years, PhytoGen^® cottonseed, the U.S. cottonseed brand of Corteva Agriscience, has helped growers thrive with cottonseed varieties that produce maximum yield and industry-leading fiber quality. Growers work smarter with the most advanced trait technologies, such as WideStrike^® 3 Insect Protection and the Enlist^® cotton trait.