New to PhytoGen’s 2016 Acala cotton seed line up is PHY 764 WRF with glyphosate resistance and WideStrike. Peck says two Tulare County growers last year yielded 20 percent more lint with PHY 764 WRF, compared to PHY 725 WRF.

PhytoGen’s Pima cotton offerings for California include: PHY 802 RF, PHY 805 RF, PHY 811 RF, PHY 830, plus two new varieties for 2016 - PHY 841 RF and PHY 881 RF. The new varieties have larger seeds compared to most Pima varieties.

Bayer CropScience has its Stoneville and FiberMax cotton brands. California growers in 2016 can plant Bayer’s Daytona RF, an Acala which San Joaquin Valley cotton growers have grown for several years. Daytona RF includes Roundup Ready Flex technology without Bt or LibertyLink technology.

“The real sweet-spot for the Daytona is in the Dos Palos area,” says Kenny Melton, agronomist with Bayer CropScience.

He says Daytona RF offers good tolerance to Verticillium wilt, plus very good fiber quality and strength.

On the FiberMax side, Bayer will offer FM 1830 GLT which includes high yields with full tolerance to Liberty and glyphosate herbicides, plus broad-spectrum lepidopteran insect protection.

Also available from Bayer this year include are: FM 2322GL - a medium maturity Upland with herbicide tolerance only; FM 2334GLT from the same background as FM 1830GLT with a slightly later maturing seed; and FM 2007GLT – a medium-maturing Upland variety with good quality fiber and performs well under tougher growing conditions. 

Monsanto’s Deltapine cotton brand accounted for about 16 percent of California’s Upland crop including five varieties, and about 8.5 percent of the Pima crop.

For 2016, Deltapine Upland varieties for the Golden State will include DP 1044 B2RF, DP 1133 B2RF, DP 1522 B2XF, DP 1553 B2XF, and DP 1555 B2XF. Deltapine’s three Pima varieties include DP 340 PIMA, DP 348 RF PIMA, and DP 358 RF PIMA.