You Wouldn't jump headfirst into a lake or a pool without first testing the waters, and cotton producers are advised to do the same when planting a new variety for the first time.

Researchers and seed companies agree that it's best that growers start small with a new cotton variety, using the initial planting as a learning experience on which to base future decisions. This strategy protects the grower from having a disastrous year if one variety doesn't fit well on his farm, and it protects the cottonseed company from negative word of mouth due to a single bad experience. In addition, it ensures that more producers will be given the opportunity to grow a new variety before it's available in large quantities.

“We like to see growers go slow with new varieties,” says Rick Rice, Delta and Pine Land Company's marketing director. “It's best to keep the bulk of your acreage planted in those tried-and-true varieties. If you like the performance of the new varieties this year, then you can increase your volume next year.”

The slate of cottonseed varieties available in 2007 should provide plenty of options for even the most avid adopter of seed technology. Seed companies are offering scores of transgenic traits available alone or stacked with other transgenics in their highest-yielding, most popular varieties. Among the available technology is the herbicide tolerance offered through Roundup Ready, Roundup Ready Flex and Liberty Link, and the insect protection of Bollgard, Bollgard II and WideStrike. Technology that is filtering through the research system, and should make it to growers' fields within the next few years, includes Optimum GAT's herbicide tolerance and VipCot's insect protection.

Each technology offers something different for cotton growers.

According to Rice, the greatest opportunity for Roundup Ready Flex varieties, such as DP110RF, may be in West Texas and Kansas where growers have traditionally planted straight Roundup Ready because insect pressure is lower there than in areas further south. “We don't anticipate a big demand for those varieties with only the Roundup Ready Flex technology in Mississippi, for example, because much of the state's crop is planted to stacked gene varieties so that growers can get the insect protection they need,” Rice says. “Obviously, the straight Flex varieties alone won't offer that.”

Reed Parker, cotton sales specialist with Dow AgroSciences, says the company's Phytogen brand includes two Roundup Ready Flex varieties: Phy425RF and Phy485WRF, which also includes Dow's WideStrike technology.

“Roundup Ready Flex will provide cotton growers a broader window for spray application,” Parker says. “In less-than-optimum planting conditions where seed emergence spreads out over several days, producers won't have to stop spraying when cotton reaches the fifth leaf stage and instead can spray up to layby.”

He predicts the early- to mid-season varieties will be planted on refuge acres, which will enable growers to harvest these acres before they begin harvesting the bulk of their acreage or after most of their harvest is complete if they are planting mostly early-season cotton varieties. “The technology gives producers added flexibility at harvest,” Parker says. “This year was an introductory year for us, and I expect ample supply in 2007. We should more than meet market demand for these two varieties, which in OVT trials have shown consistency and broad adaptability from Texas to the Carolinas.”

“Roundup Ready Flex technology gives growers an extended period of time to harness weeds and provides increased opportunities to capture any escapes,” agrees Steve McPeek, FiberMax sales lead for the Mid-South.

McPeek says Bayer CropScience will have several new FiberMax varieties in 2007 that include Roundup Ready Flex technology. He's particularly excited about two new releases — FM9063B2F and FM1880B2F.

“An early-season variety, FM9063B2F will find a fit through the Southwest and Mid-South, specifically the northern Delta where time is of the essence,” McPeek says. “FM1880B2F is a full-season variety best suited for the southern Mid-South and the Southeast where the growing season is a bit longer. Both varieties look very promising. We should have adequate supplies of FM9063B2F, but there will be a limited supply of FM1880B2F in 2007.”

For those cotton growers who want the herbicide resistance that Roundup Ready Flex technology offers, but also need the insect protection that Bollgard II provides, the 2007 slate of cottonseed offerings will fit the bill.

McPeek says, “The combination of Bollgard II and Roundup Ready Flex offers cotton producers a good balance of expense versus return, while also providing a larger window of opportunity to control weeds. These two technologies provide cleaner crops, which mean the potential for higher cotton yields. The older BRs were limited to four-leaf cotton, and we know that the weather doesn't always cooperate when weeds are emerging.”

Rice says Delta and Pine Land Company had three Bollgard II-Roundup Ready Flex stacked varieties that were included in variety tests in 2005 and were available for sale in 2006 in adequate introductory-year supplies. The company, based in Scott, MS, expects the sales of these three varieties — DP117B2/RF, DP143B2/RF and DP164B2/RF — to increase in 2007, especially in the western Cotton Belt.

Rice expects Mid-South and Southeast cotton growers to continue using the popular DP555BG/RR, DP444BG/RR and DP445BG/RR varieties and to evaluate the new technology only on limited acreage.

Competing with Monsanto's Bollgard II technology will be the insect protection provided by Dow's WideStrike technology, available only in Phytogen brand cottonseed. Phytogen varieties that include the WideStrike combination of Cry1F and CryAc Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) proteins are PHY440W, NM1517-99W, PHY370WR, PHY470WR, PHY480WR, PHY485WRF and PHY745WRF.

Syngenta has developed a vegetable insecticidal protein, known as VipCot, and hopes to get it registered in time for a 2008 commercial launch. Currently, Delta and Pine Land is the only seed company with a commercial license to sell varieties with VipCot.

Company officials say they plan to expand the VipCot testing program in 2007 and, pending regulatory approval, launch the product in 2008.

“VipCot will offer a choice for farmers seeking lepidopteran control,” Rice says. “The dominant insect-protection platform has been Monsanto's Bollgard technology. WideStrike from Dow will give growers another option in 2007, and VipCot will offer yet another option. We think VipCot offers broad-spectrum insect-control performance and anticipate registration in time for cotton planting in 2008.”

According to Rice, the first VipCot product that will be registered and offered for sale will be a dual-gene insecticidal technology. With two modes of action, the dual-gene offering will reduce the likelihood that insects will develop resistance. While VipCot technology is expected to be registered prior to the 2008 season, it probably won't be combined with herbicide technology until later.

For those growers looking for an alternative herbicide-tolerance system, Bayer CropScience is offering several new cotton varieties with LibertyLink technology. “LibertyLink provides the same increased opportunity for weed control. It also provides control of those weeds that have developed resistance or tolerance to glyphosate, including marestail and pigweed,” McPeek says. “LibertyLink is also extremely economical in many cases, as compared to Roundup Ready single-gene cotton.”

New varieties in 2007 with the LibertyLink technology include FM955LLB2 and FM965LLB2. Supplies of the new varieties are expected to be limited.

Under a newly negotiated deal, Delta and Pine Land also has acquired the commercial license for DuPont's Optimum GAT technology. The dual-gene herbicide-tolerant transgenic technology offers herbicide tolerance to DuPont's ALS chemistry as well as tolerance to glyphosate.

Optimum GAT technology is likely to be marketed as a tool to mitigate against the development of glyphosate resistance by providing an alternative chemistry to control weed escapes. Optimum GAT is expected to be included in Delta and Pine Land's 2010 cottonseed offerings.

In addition, Rice says Delta and Pine Land is looking at the potential of stacking various technologies in combinations that provide growers with multiple insect-protection genes and multiple herbicide-protection genes.

In 2007, Delta and Pine Land will offer cotton growers two new varieties: DP515BG/RR for the Mid-South and Southeast cotton markets, and DP2140B2RF for the cotton stripper market.

Dow cotton breeders are equally busy developing new varieties. Parker says the company will begin entering its new nectarless cotton varieties in 2007 state variety trials. “We feel that we've overcome the yield drag associated with previous nectarless cotton varieties, and we hope to have our new varieties on the market in 2008,” Parker says.

Nectarless cotton varieties could reduce populations of plant bugs and other piercing, sucking pests in cotton. In research trials, the insects appear to be less attracted to nectarless varieties than to conventional cotton varieties.

Also in 2007, Dow plans to increase the availability of Phy370WR. The early-season cotton variety was available only in limited quantities in 2006.

“It's a very consistent variety that performed extremely well across the Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana Delta in 2006,” Parker says. “Going into 2007, we will be a lot closer to meeting demand for this true early-season variety, which contains WideStrike and Roundup Ready technology. The same variety but with the Roundup Ready Flex technology included — Phy375WRF — will be entered into state variety trials beginning in 2007.”

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