Bollgard II XtendFlex Brings More Options To The Field

May 19, 2015

Cotton growers entered the 2015 season with a new option in the battle against glyphosate-resistant pigweed.

The Bollgard II XtendFlex technology came to market amid much anticipation. The trait technology was deregulated by USDA in January, but the wait continues for EPA approval of the dicamba products for over-the-top use.

“We’re openly stating that growers cannot spray dicamba over the top of Bollgard II XtendFlex varieties in 2015,” said Keylon Gholston, cotton products manager for Deltapine. “They can still use both Roundup and Liberty, so these varieties give growers another option in Deltapine germplasm to control resistant pigweed.”

Deltapine rolled out five new Bollgard II XtendFlex varieties (designated as B2XF) as part of the company’s Class of 15. Initial market reception, said Gholston, has not been surprising.

“The feedback we’re getting about the XtendFlex technology overall is extremely positive,” he stated. “These varieties are in genetics that growers need and want, especially during this time of lower cotton prices. The new technology is important. But growers can have confidence in the performance of these varieties from both a yield and fiber quality perspective.

“In today’s world market, not only do we have to grow pounds of cotton, but we have to grow pounds of cotton that the world wants to buy,” added Gholston. “It has to be the right quality. And considering the water and acreage reductions for both Upland and Pima cotton in California, there’s certainly a demand for quality picker cotton that has strength and good length.”

Several other companies, including NexGen and CROPLAN, also have B2XF varieties on the market this year.

With reduced acreage across the Cotton Belt, growers are looking for all of the advantages they can find in the continuing battle against pigweed. During pre-season meetings, some sources estimated that B2XF varieties could be planted on nearly half of the acres in areas of high infestation.

Combined with the GlyTol/LibertyLink varieties from Stoneville and FiberMax, the new Bollgard II XtendFlex additions could potentially increase grower dependence on Liberty – a scenario that has many weed scientists concerned about overuse and potential problems.

“I think we’ve all learned our lesson from relying too hard on one single mode of action,” said Darrin Dodds, Mississippi State University cotton specialist, during the Common Thread luncheon at the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show in February. “The one thing that’s holding for us is Liberty. But if we keep a heavy reliance on that product, we may start running it into the ground.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.