From the Turnrow Managing Nematodes With PhytoGen® Brand

FieldNotes
Volume 6, Issue 4 • Fall 2012
From the Turnrow
Where are the nematodes? There were none in soil samples taken in 2011 following repeated seasons with
PhytoGen® brand PHY 367 WRF in fields on Mike Godley’s North Carolina farm, which once had heavy nematode pressure.
Dr. Joel Faircloth
Cotton Development
Specialist
After an unseasonably cool
start in the Mid-Atlantic, most
growers faced a host of fieldspecific challenges in season.
To help with late-season
management, here are a few
variety-specific harvest tips for
PhytoGen® brand varieties.
PhytoGen brand PHY 367 WRF:
Being the earliest-maturing in
the portfolio, PHY 367 WRF can
frequently be defoliated and
harvested prior to the onset
of inclement weather without
sacrificing yield. The root-knotnematode tolerance allows
for better root growth than
competitors and makes it more
likely to resume development
following stressful periods. The
excellent fiber quality of this
variety provides some flexibility
with respect to defoliation timing,
and it should be defoliated
around 75 percent open boll.
(continued on next page)
Temik is a federally Restricted Use Pesticide.
Managing Nematodes With
PhytoGen® Brand PHY 367 WRF
Mike Godley discovered he had a root-knot-nematode problem in a field
when he planted it to soybeans about four years ago.
He addressed the problem by coming back with PhytoGen® brand PHY 367 WRF.
“The problem was masked when I grew cotton and had Temik nematicide
available,” Godley recalls.
For the next three years, he sampled for nematodes and planted PHY 367 WRF
in those fields where nematode pressure was at or above the economic
threshold. He continued to also plant PhytoGen brand PHY 375 WRF and
several competing varieties in other fields.
“In 2010, I grew some of my best cotton ever,” Godley says. “PHY 367 WRF
and PHY 375 WRF were the best-yielding that year.”
In 2012, the samples showed the nematode problem was resolved.
“I stuck with PHY 367 WRF in case there’s an anomaly,” Godley says.
“But, according to the science, we don’t have a nematode problem.”
When choosing varieties, Godley plants a mix of maturities to spread the
risk of adverse weather impacts and create a smooth harvest sequence.
When a new variety catches his attention, he orders a planter full, preferably
about 12 bags. For 2012, that variety was PhytoGen brand PHY 499 WRF.
Each year, he increases the acres of those varieties that consistently
perform and drops the ones that don’t.
To know which varieties perform, look at his acreage mix: PHY 375 WRF, 45 percent;
PHY 367 WRF, 22 percent; PHY 499 WRF, 12 percent. All others, 21 percent.
And pay close attention to the times he made an exception to his rules.
The exceptions since he started growing cotton in 1998 are PHY 367 WRF
and PHY 375 WRF. “I don’t think I was ever at the 12-bag stage with either
of those. I’m not starting out with just 12 bags of 499 either.”
(continued from front page)
PhytoGen brand PHY 375 WRF: This variety should
be ready to terminate just following PHY 367 WRF.
The stamina of this variety frequently shows up
as a nest of additional bolls in the top one-third of
the plant. Like PHY 367 WRF, the micronaire is well
below the industry average, providing flexibility in
defoliation timing. The recommended defoliation
timing for this variety is 75 percent open boll.
PhytoGen brand PHY 499 WRF: During the
season, PHY 499 WRF lived up to its reputation
for exceptional vigor and robust plant growth.
Producers across the Cotton Belt noted the unique
tendency of the variety to start fruiting higher
on the plant and to continue fruiting on outer
positions. However, the characteristic we all are
graded on is yield, and it continues to perform
at a notch above the competition.
So do we need to prepare PHY 499 WRF for
harvest differently than other varieties? To optimize
micronaire and yield, this variety should be
defoliated at the traditional 60 percent open or three
nodes above cracked boll. Defoliant coverage is
important with this aggressive-growing variety.
PhytoGen® brand PHY 499 WRF provides exceptional vigor and robust plant growth.
You may already have noticed this it is not a
particularly showy variety, although the yield and
turnout may leave you scratching your head.
PhytoGen brand PHY 565 WRF: The low micronaire
associated with this mid- to full-maturing variety
allows for flexible defoliation timing. This variety
should be defoliated at 75 percent open boll.
For more information on PhytoGen varieties,
please contact [rep_name] at [Rep_Phone]
or me. Whether this is the first year you’ve
planted PhytoGen cottonseed or you are a repeat
customer, we really appreciate your business.
Have a safe harvest.
Georgia Cotton Family Wins $1,000
From PhytoGen First Team Retailer Program
group of retailers identified
by PhytoGen as First
Team Retailers — the
MVPs of PhytoGen seed
dealers. Membership in
the program is based on
sales performance, product
service and promotional
activities on behalf of
PhytoGen.
Tommy Sumner, the
manager of Sumner
Peanut Co., teased his
cousin when she set up
PhytoGen materials in the
office and took pictures of
them for a sweepstakes.
What, after all, were
the chances that Angie
Davis, the family-owned
PhytoGen agronomist Baxter Clark presents First Team Retailer winner
Ultimately, Davis says the
company’s secretary/
Angie Davis with a Cabela’s gift card from PhytoGen.
award is further proof of
treasurer, would win the
what her family already knows: “We keep coming back
grand prize, a $1,000 gift card to Cabela’s?
to PhytoGen cottonseed because it makes money for us.”
Pretty good, apparently. Davis recently was named the
And, thanks to her cousin’s teasing, Davis feels
grand-prize winner of PhytoGen’s First Team Retailer
no obligation to share this most recent windfall.
Sweepstakes. Sumner Peanut Co. belongs to an elite
®
Winning With PhytoGen
PhytoGen® cottonseed gave North Carolina cotton
grower Lee Dickens two firsts: his first two-bale
harvest — which became an annual two-bale average
expectation — and his first contest win.
Dickens of Garysburg, N.C., won a John Deere® Gator™
550 XUV from the PhytoGen Best Yielder Club. Winning
the Gator was a singular joy for Dickens, but his entry
was one of hundreds and his story about PhytoGen
brand PHY 375 WRF is often heard.
Best Yielder Club winners Lee and Melissa Dickens with their new
John Deere® Gator™ 550 XUV.
“Under adverse conditions, it will make a good crop,”
Dickens reports regarding PHY 375 WRF. “Under
favorable conditions, it will bust the windows open.”
“I’ve been telling myself I don’t know why I do it,”
Dickens says. “Every year, the PhytoGen cottonseed is
the best, so why don’t I just pick two PhytoGen varieties
and grow those. This year, that’s what I did.”
For his part, Dickens didn’t want to bust the windshield
and was even a little concerned about getting his new
Gator dirty after it was delivered to the farm. Pushing the
buttons, however, was a given. That’s how he discovered
the hydraulic lift on the cargo bed.
Dickens stuck with PHY 375 WRF — the strongest player
in his fields for the last four years — and PhytoGen®
brand PHY 499 WRF, the newest player in PhytoGen’s
lineup and a winner in university Official Variety Trials
across the Cotton Belt.
Putting a pencil to his records is how he confirmed the
power of PhytoGen cottonseed. Dickens planted 100
percent PhytoGen cottonseed on his cotton acres in
2012 — not because he won the Gator, but because he
took a little time during the winter to review his records.
In prior years, he tried a few competitive varieties in a
couple of fields.
Growers who win with PhytoGen cottonseed in the
field also can join Dickens as a winner in the Best
Yielder Club. Upon joining the Best Yielder Club, all new
members receive a high-quality knit shirt and baseball
cap, both with the Best Yielder Club logo. To read what
other growers are saying about PhytoGen cottonseed,
visit MyBestYielder.com.
Pipeline Varieties
PhytoGen strives to remain on the cutting edge of variety development. This year, PhytoGen is expanding
its portfolio with three new varieties to meet the needs of growers throughout the Cotton Belt.
PhytoGen® brand PHY 339 WRF
• Earliest variety in the
PhytoGen lineup
• Stable and broadly adapted
• Great color, micronaire, length
and strength
• Semi-smooth leaf
PhytoGen brand PHY 575 WRF
• Full-season maturity similar to
PhytoGen brand PHY 565 WRF
• Extreme yield potential
• Tall plant with a great
fiber package
• Smooth leaf
PhytoGen brand PHY 811 RF
• PhytoGen’s newest Pima offering
• Seven to 10 days earlier maturity
than PhytoGen brand PHY 805 RF
• Similar yield to PHY 805 RF
• Solid fiber package
•R
ace 4 tolerance similar to PHY 805 RF
“In trials, this aggressive variety
yielded as well as PhytoGen brand
PHY 499 WRF,” says Russell Nuti,
cotton development specialist
for PhytoGen.
“This variety should be our fullestseason variety,” Nuti says. “It looks
as strong or stronger than anything
in our lineup.”
“We are excited to deliver these
new varieties, which all represent
new genetic lines,” Nuti says.
“We are committed to maintaining
high yield potential with every
variety we introduce.”
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Reflecting on 2011
and Looking Forward to 2012
We wish everyone the best for a successful harvest and are proud you chose to
partner with PhytoGen this year. As you look back on 2012 and begin to look forward
to 2013, we want you to keep in mind the exciting new varieties from PhytoGen.
PhytoGen® brand PHY 339 WRF will fit well in the early season market and
is resistant to blight. PhytoGen brand PHY 575 WRF has a maturity similar
to PhytoGen brand PHY 565 WRF and the yield potential of PhytoGen brand
PHY 499 WRF. In the west, PhytoGen brand PHY 811 RF offers a solid fiber
package and yields similar to PHY 805 RF.
We continue to hear rave reviews for PHY 499 WRF. This midmaturing variety was
selected for its very broad adaptation. It excels throughout the Cotton Belt with
stable, superior yields and quality. If you have a story about PHY 499 WRF or an
experience with any of the PhytoGen® brand varieties, visit MyBestYielder.com
to share your story.
Duane Canfield
General manager and portfolio marketing leader for PhytoGen
This edition of FieldNotes has been sent to you on behalf of your Dow AgroSciences sales representative.