PhytoGen, an affiliate of Dow AgroSciences, has a pipeline of germplasm and traits in development for introduction in 2016 and beyond.
“PhytoGen brand varieties are bred to yield and yield quality cotton,” says Christopher Main, PhytoGen cotton development specialist. “PhytoGen brand PHY 444 WRF will be available in 2016, and field trials in the South and Southeast are showing tremendous yield potential. Even with the wet planting season, profitability expectations are high for this superior fiber quality variety with lower micronaire and exceptionally long staple.”
In 2014 across 45 head-to-head public field trials on farms across the Cotton Belt comparing three PhytoGen brand varieties — PHY 312 WRF, PHY 333 WRF and PHY 444 WRF — with three of the top competitors, PhytoGen cottonseed emerged as the leader in yield, lint quality and profit.
“Using SeedMatrix.com to project profits, PHY 312 WRF and PHY 333 WRF garnered crop values of $817 and $827 per acre, respectively,” says Brooks Blanche, also PhytoGen cotton development specialist. “It is a significant advantage, especially for growers now struggling to realize even a modest profit.”
Introduced last year, PHY 333 WRF demonstrates broad adaptability with outstanding yield potential. “PHY 333 WRF is an early- to midmaturing-option with excellent fiber quality and high yield potential, particularly on irrigated, fertile soil,” Main says. “Because PHY 333 WRF matures a little earlier, it’s an excellent complement to PHY 499 WRF.”
In 2014 Tennessee Official Variety Trials (OVTs), PHY 333 WRF delivered the highest yield and ranked first among competitive offerings across the northern Delta’s head-to-head OVT averages, showing a $44-per-acre crop value advantage over the next competitive offering.
Further south, Blanche says, PHY 333 WRF was the overall top performer in lint yield among 10 competitors in 2014 Mississippi State University On-farm Variety Trials and ranked second for two-year yield averages (2013 and 2014) in Mississippi State and Louisiana State universities’ OVTs, behind PHY 312 WRF.
“PHY 333 WRF is demonstrating that it’s an excellent fit on highly productive Delta soils and responds well to inputs and irrigation,” Blanche says.
PhytoGen brand PHY 495 W3RF is the first three-gene Bt product on the market. This variety features WideStrike 3 Insect Protection, for growers concerned with yield losses due to cotton bollworm. Growers also have seen high yield and great quality with this variety.
PhytoGen also introduced a new early season variety for 2015, that is bred specifically for West Texas and the Texas northern Plains region — PHY 222 WRF, which is the earliest-maturing variety in the lineup. It’s specifically bred for storm tolerance along with consistency and yield potential.
PhytoGen brand varieties bred to provide high-level root-knot-nematode resistance, PhytoGen brand PHY 417 WRF and PhytoGen brand PHY 427 WRF, are suited for specific geographies. PHY 417 WRF is a great fit in Texas and Oklahoma, while PHY 427 WRF provides optimum performance in the Midsouth, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Both are early maturing varieties with high quality and excellent yield potential in fields with root-knot-nematode pressure.
