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Research examines ways to optimize cotton stands

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Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
January 17, 2008

Consider soil temperature, fungicides and other factors before planting

University researchers say growers can maximize their stands by planting in optimal soil temperatures and protecting their cottonseed investment with a premium fungicide seed treatment.

Boyd Padgett, LSU AgCenter plant pathologist, said soil temperatures should be in the mid-60s for several days prior to planting. In Louisiana, those conditions usually arrive in mid-April, but some growers always get an early jump on planting, Padgett said. Other times, growers plant into ideal conditions, only to face a cold snap a few days later.

Padgett said this is why seed-applied fungicides, including Trilex™ Advanced Seed-Applied System, can be a good insurance policy for growers.

“Trilex Advanced is a good product that has a fit,” he said. “Cotton just does not do well in cold soils, and seed treatments can carry the plant through cold snaps.”

Trilex Advanced has three fungicides that work together to protect cotton against the most damaging seedborne and soilborne diseases.

Though the most damaging seedling pathogens, Rhizoctonia and Pythium spp., do not thrive in cool soils, they survive well enough to infect plants, Padgett said. Growers who have fields with a history of high levels of these diseases should consider an additional in-furrow fungicide treatment to maximize protection, he said.

Stand skips don’t just lower yield potential, Padgett said, they also provide an open invitation for weeds to fill in the gaps. Severe stand skips can even cause difficulties during defoliation, he said.

A decision to choose a base fungicide or upgrade to a premium fungicide like Trilex Advanced is a classic example of risk management, Padgett said.

“If growers are willing to roll the dice and stay with a base fungicide, those few times they don’t get a healthy stand, they’ll either have to replant - which is expensive - or they’re left with a crop that never totally recovers,” he said.

Trilex Advanced is the preferred fungicide partner for Aeris® insecticide/nematicide seed treatment, and growers who use an at-plant insecticide such as Temik® insecticide/nematicide can also use Trilex Advanced. For more information about these products, contact your local Bayer CropScience field representative or visit www.CottonExperts.com.

Bayer CropScience LP is the U.S. business of Bayer CropScience AG.

Bayer AG is a global research-based and growth-oriented enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer CropScience AG, a subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual sales of about EUR 5.7 billion (2006), is one of the world’s leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and plant biotechnology. The company offers an outstanding range of products and extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture and for non-agricultural applications. Bayer CropScience has a global workforce of about 17,900 and is represented in more than 120 countries.

Aeris and Temik are Restricted Use Pesticides. Always read and follow label instructions.

 

 

 

 

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