USA: BASF advances five new cotton seed varieties, including dicamba-tolerant varieties for enhanced weed control

Over the past year, as part of the BASF Agronomic Performance Trial Program, growers have been testing cottonseed varieties on their fields to help meet some of their most difficult challenges. Through the trials, BASF advanced five new FiberMax® and Stoneville® cottonseed varieties for the 2019 season, and for the first time, two of the new BASF varieties contain dicamba-tolerant traits.

 

"Cotton growers want high-yielding, high-quality varieties with traits that give them flexibility to control the yield-robbing pests in their field, such as pigweed,” said Kenny Melton, Western Region Agronomic Services Manager for BASF. "With our two new dicamba-tolerant varieties, BASF gives growers options for controlling their resistant pigweed with Engenia® herbicide.”

 

 

 

Growers across a large part of the Cotton Belt have a new variety with great yield potential that is geared to their conditions and soil type. ST 5600B2XF is equipped with a good fiber package, root knot nematode resistance, two-gene worm protection and herbicide tolerance to Liberty® herbicide, Engenia herbicide and glyphosate.

 

“We’re pleased to offer some very strong germplasm in this variety,” said Melton. “ST 5600B2XF is also nematode resistant. This seed is a very powerful tool to have in a grower’s toolbox to deal with root knot nematodes.”

 

 

Engineered for West Texas and Eastern New Mexico dryland and limited irrigation production, ST 5707B2XF is a new variety that brings rugged early-season vigor and mid- to full-season maturity. It offers resistance to bacterial blight, two-gene worm protection and herbicide tolerance to Liberty herbicide, Engenia herbicide and glyphosate.

 

“Primarily for the West Texas dryland and limited irrigation market, this variety gives growers in that region an excellent option to manage their glyphosate-resistant pigweed,” said Melton.

 

Growers in the Delta, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast also have a new cottonseed variety with great yield potential that is geared to their conditions and soil type. ST 4550GLTP is an early-mid maturing variety equipped with an excellent fiber package, high gin turnout and tolerance to Liberty herbicide and glyphosate. This variety includes BASF’s proprietary three-gene lepidopteran resistance, TwinLink® Plus, which decreases the likelihood that a worm application will be needed.

 

“ST 4550GLTP has outstanding yield potential,” said Scott Asher, Eastern Region Agronomic Services Manager for BASF. “In our trials, we saw that it didn’t matter if it was in the Delta, the Mid-Atlantic, or the Southeast, it showed great yield performance and stability across the entire Eastern Cotton Belt.”

 

 

Growers looking for excellent yield potential with medium maturity can look to FM 2398GLTP. This semi-smooth variety offers bacterial blight resistance, very good tolerance to Verticillium wilt and great fiber quality potential. It is targeted for use in the High Plains, Rolling Plains, Oklahoma and South and East Texas. This variety is from the same background as FM 2498GLT, but is slightly earlier and has the advantage of TwinLink Plus. 

 

“Bollworms are becoming more of a problem in two-gene BT systems, but with TwinLink Plus added to this variety, growers can count on improved resistance to this pest,” said Melton.

 

 

Designed for growers in the High Plains areas, FM 1621GL is an excellent yielding variety with high gin turnout. It is perfect for acres that require root knot nematode tolerance and resistance to bacterial blight and offers early maturity, a moderate growth habit and a boll type similar to FM 1888GL.

 

“Grower choice is limited in the far Northern Plains and the FM 1621GL variety has performed well in that type of environment,” said Melton. “We see this as a strong fit in the area where FM 1320GL is planted – a favorite of the far Northern High Plains.”

 

After acquiring FiberMax and Stoneville in 2018, BASF now has a leading portfolio of solutions for cotton growers from seed to gin.

 

“We have improved our overall cotton seed portfolio with the addition of these new varieties, which bring high yield potential, our most advanced worm protection with TwinLink Plus and grower choice in herbicide trait technologies,” said Asher. “BASF also offers a full portfolio of crop protection products that include residual herbicides Prowl® H2O and Outlook®, postemergence herbicides Liberty and Engenia, and the disease control and other Plant Health benefits of Priaxor® Xemium® brand fungicide, to help our growers maximize their production.”

 

To learn more about the best cottonseed varieties for your field, talk with your BASF representative, or visit FiberMax.com or Stoneville.com.