2018 trials underway to assess variety performance, characteristics and traits in specific regions of the Cotton Belt
Over the past year, Americot has expanded its Research and Development team with the addition of four Research and Germplasm Specialists, supporting our plant breeders across the Cotton Belt. These new team members are administering research trials throughout their assigned regions, gathering data on commercial varieties, as well as pre-commercial varieties in the last stage of testing prior to commercial launch.
“Our goal is to provide our sales teams and growers the exact information they need for each product, to maximize the potential of NexGen® varieties on their farms with data that comes from their growing regions. Water efficiency, seed treatments, PGR management, heat tolerance, seedling vigor and emergence are all focus areas included in the trials planted this year, enabling us to understand how to best manage our products in specific regions,” says Dr. Doug Jost, Director of Research and Cotton Germplasm.
Americot continues to invest in the cotton industry, committed to supporting and bringing additional value to growers throughout the Cotton Belt.
SHANE HALFMANN Central & South Texas
This year, I have 24 trial locations from Corpus Christi to Paris, Texas. Additionally, I’m looking at different PGR application rates and timing on commercial varieties. I’ve been really impressed with the emergence of NG 4777 B2XF, NG 3780 B2XF and NG 3729 B2XF. These new products for 2018 are showing really strong emergence during pretty poor planting conditions.
CODY JONES Kansas/Oklahoma & High Plains/Northern Plains, Texas
I’m working 27 locations from just north of Lubbock, Texas, to Altus, Oklahoma, up to Winfield, Kansas. Our soil temperatures were really good during planting, promoting good stands and emergence. We have some good very early-vigor ratings on our varieties, and NG 4777 B2XF has shown excellent vigor across the board. I also have two water efficiency trials in my area that should yield some very valuable data.
DOUG JOST, PH.D South Plains/Rolling Plains, Texas
I’m really excited about this year! I have 25 trials ranging from Salt Flats to Stamford to St. Lawrence to Lubbock, Texas. With the dry spell West Texas has been under, our water efficiency trials will provide a tremendous amount of value to the grower. In addition, we continue to focus on testing of vigorous varieties with the latest B3XF technology that lends to performance in our West Texas environments.
CHASE SAMPLES MidSouth
This year I’m checking 24 trials across the Mid-South (Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama). I’m very excited about the locations that are solely dedicated to the experimental B3XF varieties as candidates for launch in 2019. We also have several early selection sites for the Breeding Team in the Mid-South that we’ll be monitoring, as well.
KAREN GELDMACHER Arizona
I have several trials across Arizona focused on a few key factors: heat tolerance (including pollen sterility and cavitation), nematode seed treatment trials with the University of Arizona and advanced strains tests for the Breeding Team. So far, NG 3729 B2XF is an early season favorite in university trials across the state. I’m also impressed with the early-season vigor of NG 4792 XF in Central Arizona, where we had a cool, wet and windy April planting.
From Cotton Farming Magazine – June 2018