Since the launch of PhytoGen® W3FE varieties, cotton producers have recognized the benefits of WideStrike® 3 Insect Protection and the Enlist® weed control system. While many have planted PhytoGen for these trait technologies, something else piqued the interest of Midsouth cotton producer Doug Scott.
“Yield and quality drew me to PhytoGen,” Scott says. “I started looking at university data throughout the Midsouth, and PhytoGen was doing extremely well. That got my interest. So I did some more research, and the yield and quality looked almost too good to be true.”
Scott soon found out firsthand that PhytoGen excelled in yield and fiber quality. He planted a small amount of PhytoGen cottonseed in 2014 and was so impressed that he planted PhytoGen on 90 percent of his cotton acres the following year. Now Scott plants 100 percent PhytoGen on his farm, and his yields are getting better and better with new PhytoGen W3FE varieties.
Last season Scott had his best crop ever, with “extremely good yields from PhytoGen.” In an on-farm variety trial, PhytoGen® brand PHY 430 W3FE and PHY 350 W3FE earned the top two spots, yielding 1950 pounds/A and 1883 pounds/A, respectively. The six PhytoGen brand varieties in the trial averaged 1,850 pounds/A. These consistently high yields have convinced Scott he can thrive with PhytoGen.
“Bottom line is still yield, because if you have enough pounds you can compensate for a lower price. So yield is still top priority – but most importantly, consistent yield,” Scott says.
Yield, Yield, and Protecting Yield
While yield is most important, Scott says PhytoGen varieties offer excellent yield protection, with leading trait technologies and unique genetic characteristics. He says WideStrike 3 provides excellent protection against bollworms, and the Enlist weed control system keeps his fields clean from resistant pigweed.
“Enlist herbicides control the weeds. I’m very pleased with the weed control,” Scott says. “I really like that you can spray Enlist herbicides, glufosinate or glyphosate. And I am confident the system works just like it’s supposed to, if you follow the label.”
The fact that the Enlist cotton trait comes in a PhytoGen bag makes him even happier. “We have premier products with both PhytoGen cottonseed and the Enlist system, and the beauty is that they are combined together,” Scott says.
Scott also says genetic characteristics such as excellent early season vigor and storm tolerance help maximize plant health and keep lint in the bolls until the end of the season. His area can get straight-line winds in late summer, so storm tolerance is a key benefit.
“PhytoGen cotton is stormproof and not necessarily very showy, but it picks clean,” Scott said. “But when we have wind or rain, you’ll be glad. You can look across the fields before late harvest, and there’s not any cotton on the ground. It’s impressive.”
For PhytoGen varieties that will help you thrive on your farm, go to the variety selection page and enter your zip code.
