Lubbock, Texas
March 9, 2009
South Texas cotton grower Ronnie
Smith needs cotton varieties that yield and grade well in the
arid region near Bishop, Texas, where he farms more than 5,000
cotton acres. After planting several varieties over the past few
seasons, Smith chose two FiberMax® cotton varieties to plant on
his entire farm for the 2009 season, FM 835LLB2 and FM 840B2F.
Both varieties include Bollgard II® stacked with
herbicide-tolerant traits, but Smith said he primarily chose the
two because of their okra leaf shape.
“The okra leaf characteristics work really well in the South
Texas region and especially on my farm,” Smith said. “They are
able to handle drought stress and still continue to produce
quality lint. They defoliate cleaner and easier and pick well.
Everything about them works great for us.”
In 2008, Smith planted 90 percent of his farm to the two okra
leaf varieties and averaged 36 staple length with a loan value
between 54 and 57 cents. He believes this high quality fiber is
what buyers in the South Texas market look to purchase.
Justin Chopelas, a cotton consultant in Odem, Texas, who
consults on acres across the coastal bend area, agrees, saying
that most of his growers strive to produce high quality fiber
for international markets.
“International mills are looking for high quality – strength in
addition to length – because they need a good, strong fiber for
their high-speed mills,” Chopelas said. “As difficult as it is
to move cotton these days, you need to produce a premium
product. FiberMax offers that strength with good staple length.
When it comes to a premium fiber package, I think FiberMax has
it wrapped up better than anyone else.”
Combating Weed Resistance
Smith will plant about 4,000 to 4,500 acres to FM 835LLB2 with
the LibertyLink® trait this season. He said Ignite® herbicide
does a great job controlling weeds on his farm, and he gets the
added benefit of protection against glyphosate-resistant weeds.
But he said growers have to manage their crop differently than
they would with glyphosate systems.
“Don’t let the weeds get too big. If you catch them small, you
will knock them out,” Smith said. “The main thing is to catch
your weeds small and to put down your yellow herbicide. We think
you need to put your yellow herbicides down with either
LibertyLink or Roundup Ready systems, but it is especially
important with LibertyLink.”
For more information on the complete 2009 lineup of FiberMax
varieties, contact your local Bayer CropScience field
representative or visit
www.CottonExperts.com.
Bayer is a global 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 6.4 billion (2008), 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 more than 18,000 and is
represented in more than 120 countries. This and further news is
available at:
www.newsroom.bayercropscience.com.
Always read and follow label instructions. Bayer, the Bayer
Cross, FiberMax, Ignite and LibertyLink are registered
trademarks of Bayer. Bollgard II® and Roundup Ready® are
registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. Certain
stewardship guidelines are provided for Bollgard II cotton at
www.monsanto.com.
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