Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
March 3, 2017
Under extreme verticillium wilt pressure, PhytoGen® brand PHY 243 WRF (left) outperformed the susceptible variety (right) by 526 pounds in the PhytoGen breeding trial near Halfway, Texas. Growers can choose from 10 PhytoGen brand varieties that provide good-to-excellent verticillium wilt tolerance.
The latest lineup of PhytoGen® brand varieties offers growers more and better in-plant, native trait protection to help cotton thrive, protect quality and optimize yields. PhytoGen offers a multitude of options to help growers fight bacterial blight, root-knot nematodes (RKN) and verticillium wilt.
Nationwide, growers can choose from 12 PhytoGen brand varieties packaged with bacterial blight resistance, 10 varieties that have some level of verticillium wilt tolerance and two varieties with RKN resistance. PhytoGen also offers Pima varieties with tolerance to Fusarium Race 4.
“PhytoGen researchers have spent years selecting for naturally occurring traits that confer a high level of tolerance to diseases that plague cotton growers,” says John Pellow, global cotton breeding leader at Dow AgroSciences.
Most PhytoGen cottonseed currently contains these native traits, Pellow says, and additional protection is in the works. Soon varieties will contain multiple naturally occurring traits to guard against various soil borne and foliar diseases. PhytoGen brand varieties also are being developed to better tolerate various environmental stresses and reniform nematode tolerance in Upland varieties.
“We are developing multiple genes that make each native trait less likely to develop resistance and to provide a longer lifespan of the trait. For example, starting with new releases in 2018, many more PhytoGen brand varieties will carry both RKN genes, providing better tolerance to RKN pressure,” Pellow says.
Now with the latest technology
All new PhytoGen® brand varieties also contain the first three-gene insect trait technology — WideStrike® 3 Insect Protection — which offers improved protection against cotton bollworm.
PhytoGen cottonseed with the new Enlist™ cotton trait provides tolerance to Enlist Duo® herbicide — a combination of new 2,4-D choline and glyphosate — as well as glufosinate, to help eliminate tough-to-control and resistant weeds.
“We’re very excited about the future at PhytoGen. Not only do we annually advance yield and fiber quality, we are not aware of any companies advancing this many traits for yield protection,” Pellow says.
New PhytoGen.com more user-friendly
For more about yield protection traits available from PhytoGen, growers can access PhytoGen.com, newly optimized for computers, smartphones and tablets. The website has been redesigned to be more accessible and useful for cotton producers.
In-depth performance results of PhytoGen brand varieties, as well as geographic-specific variety information, are now available online. Growers will also find more detailed agronomic tips on the newly redesigned PhytoGen site.
Producers also can learn more about the new cash-back rewards program, PhytoGen Residual Rewards, or enter the Best Yielder Club for prizes.
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