A new root-knot nematode-resistant variety and a full-season variety named to honor a legendary yield performer join the Deltapine Class of 15, as the brand celebrates 100 years of breeding innovations.
The announcements were made at the Deltapine New Product Evaluator (NPE) Summit in Nashville, TN, where some 140 farmers gathered for briefings on important topics related to cotton production.
The Deltapine NPE program has resulted in commercialization of many of the top-planted cotton varieties across the Belt. Only variety candidates that are proven by NPE farmers to have better yield, quality and performance than current commercial offerings will be commercialized.
“Since 1915, when the breeding program for Deltapine was initiated, the most important, production-improving innovations in cotton have come in Deltapine varieties,” said Keylon Gholston, Deltapine cotton products manager at Monsanto.
“In 2015, Deltapine will celebrate its 100th anniversary as a leading cotton brand for farmers in the United States, one that has changed the face of U.S. cotton for the better. The Class of 15 represents how far we’ve come in terms of genetic advancements and fulfilling our commitment to the success of cotton farmers and the industry.”
DP 1558NR B2RF is a full-season variety with resistance to root-knot nematodes. Adapted to the Southeastern growing region and the Texas Southern High Plains and Southern Rolling Plains, this variety demonstrated very high yield on fields with low to moderate RKN pressure, as well as in fields with high pressure.
DP 1558NR B2RF is the second RKN-resistant variety in the Deltapine portfolio, with more lines planned for commercial release in the future. On many NPE farms with RKN pressure, this variety not only out-yielded the Class of 14’s DP 1454NR B2RF, but it also out-yielded other standard Deltapine varieties in fields with no pressure.
The RKN-resistant breeding trait is part of Monsanto’s solutions for healthy cotton. The breeding trait gives cotton plants season-long control by enabling strong root growth and reducing RKN populations in the soil profile.
The new DP 1555 B2RF represents the breeding advancements in yield and fiber quality potential made in the Deltapine breeding and development programs over the decades. It is a mid- to full-season variety with a semi-smooth leaf that has demonstrated exceptionally high yield and better fiber quality than DP 1252 B2RF.
The best fit for DP 1555 B2RF is the lower Southeast, lower mid-South and upper Texas coast – areas where the variety showed strong vigor and performed well on irrigated fields and in high-yield environments in 2014.
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