A BG/RR variety for the southeast showing very high yield potential is also on tap for 2007.
 
Delta and Pine Land Company (D&PL) plans to have in full-commercial launch for 2007 four exciting Bollgard II®/Roundup Ready® Flex varieties, one Pima and one Bollgard®/Roundup Ready® variety bred for performance in the southeast. The varieties join the already strong D&PL lineup that includes DP 555 BG/RR, DP 444 BG/RR and DP 445 BG/RR, three of the leading cotton varieties planted in the United States this past season.

“Leading D&PL varieties such as DP 555 BG/RR and DP 445 BG/RR have consistently demonstrated superior performance over competitors in good growing seasons and also in tough ones,” says Jim Willeke, vice president of sales and marketing for D&PL. “And as producers find areas on their farms where the new technologies fit, D&PL is ready to supply them with a choice of maturities and established genetic backgrounds containing the Bollgard II and Roundup Ready Flex genes. Our B2RF lines will complement our industry-leading BG/RR varieties, providing customers the varieties with the yield and fiber quality potential they need to be successful today.”

The latest cotton varieties in full-commercial launch from D&PL for 2007 are:

DP 143 B2RF
This variety came out of the D&PL breeding and research programs showing great potential for high yields and premium fiber quality. Containing the industry-leading weed and insect control technologies of Bollgard II and Roundup Ready Flex, DP 143 B2RF has shown in testing across the Cotton Belt an ability to perform well in a wide array of growing environments and soil types.
“DP 143 B2RF is probably the most exciting of the B2RF varieties in the D&PL lineup because it has shown potential to perform well – with high yields and good fiber quality – in a variety of regions,” says David Albers, Vice President of Technical Services at D&PL. “While we cannot say that DP 143 B2RF has potential to out-yield the premier D&PL varieties such as DP 555 BG/RR and DP 445 BG/RR, we do have data that indicates DP 143 B2RF has the potential to yield equal to, or above, the many competitor B2RF products on the market today.”
 
DP 164 B2RF
A true mid- to full-season variety also bred and developed in the world-class D&PL research program, DP 164 B2RF demonstrated good stress tolerance, especially heat stress in Texas in 2005. This variety has held up as good as any B2RF this year in the Texas High Plains region, which has suffered from drought and high heat levels. DP 164 B2RF has smooth leaves and has performed well in testing on fields with clay or similar low-production-type soils in the mid-south and southeastern regions.
 
DP 117 B2RF
An early-season Bollgard II/Roundup Ready Flex variety developed in the D&PL breeding program, DP 117 B2RF has demonstrated good potential for both high yields and premium fiber quality in high-production environments and soils. It has performed well, delivering high yields, on irrigated fields throughout the southeastern and mid-south regions as well as in Texas, including the High Plains.
“D&PL has raised the potential on yield and fiber quality in its cotton varieties and the new B2RF lines are no exception,” says Albers. “Year after year, U.S. cotton producers know they can rely on D&PL to offer cotton variety choices that give them the best profit potential.”
 
PM 2140 B2RF
Developed in the D&PL breeding and research program located in Haskell, Texas, PM  2140 B2RF is a very early BollgardII/Roundup Ready Flex variety for the northern reaches of the High Plains, including Oklahoma and Kansas. It demonstrated the potential for both high yield and premium fiber quality in 2005 testing.
“With its very early maturity, PM 2140 B2RF will make a nice addition to the D&PL variety lineup in 2007 because it can be a good option for replanting in the Plainview-south portion of the High Plains,” says Tom Speed, Technical Services Regional Director for D&PL. “This variety will be one of the earliest maturing B2RF products in our lineup.”

DP 515 BG/RR
Bred to perform in the southeast, DP 515 BG/RR is a mid- to full-maturity variety with semi-smooth leaves and a penchant for high yields, according to 2005 testing in Georgia and South Carolina.
“Test results were so good in fact that virtually all of the limited-amount of seed available for DP 515 BG/RR in 2006 was bought and planted by producers,” says Ken Lege, Technical Services Regional Director for D&PL. “In limited testing, this variety has shown very promising characteristics including high-end yield potential comparable to DP 555 BG/RR and a slightly earlier maturity, making DP 515 BG/RR a good companion to the nation’s leading cotton variety, Triple Nickel.”

DP 353 Pima
DP 353 Pima will be the latest offering from D&PL for the California Pima market. This variety is an early- to mid-maturity that has tested similar to DP 340 Pima in terms of yield and fiber quality potential. In testing, DP 353 has been more responsive to management inputs such as fertilizer and growth management products when compared to the more indeterminate Pima cotton varieties.

Delta and Pine Land Company is a commercial breeder, producer and marketer of cotton planting seed, as well as soybean seed, in the Cotton Belt. For almost 90 years, the company has used its extensive plant breeding programs, drawing from a diverse germplasm base, to develop improved cotton varieties. Delta and Pine Land Company (NYSE: DLP), headquartered in Scott, Mississippi, has offices in eight states and facilities in several foreign countries.

D&PL and Deltapine are registered trademarks of Delta and Pine Land Company. Yield. Fiber. More. is a trademark of Delta and Pine Land Company.
Bollgard®, Roundup Ready® and Bollgard II® are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC and used under license.