New product pairs performance with flexibility

Bayer CropScience has set several standards in cotton production with products that include Temik® insecticide/nematicide, FiberMax® Cotton Seed, Oberon® insecticide/miticide, Stance® plant regulator and Trimax® Pro insecticide. For the 2007 crop season, the company announces a new standard for seed treatments with AERIS™ Seed-Applied System for cotton growers. AERIS offers the broadest protection of early season pests from any seed-applied product.

AERIS has two main components — a nematicide/insecticide and a second insecticide — and an optional fungicide package so growers can tailor the product to fit their particular needs. TRILEX™ Advanced Seed-Applied System has three fungicides to control the most damaging early season diseases, including Rhizoctonia, Pythium, Thielaviopsis and Fusarium. No seed treatment prior has this level of flexibility.

“Some growers need premium seedling disease protection and some don’t,” said Chris Kleyla, AERIS product manager, Bayer CropScience. “Our competitor makes growers pay for their fungicide either way, but we want to give them a choice.”

University Extension researchers in the Southeast and Mid-South cotton production regions have studied AERIS in replicated trials for the past two seasons with some promising results to date.

A rating system adopted across the Cotton Belt charts the severity of thrips damage — 1 indicates no damage, and 5 indicates severe damage. The average thrips damage rating across all locations for AERIS was 1.8, compared to a 3.8 rating on the untreated checks and a 1.9 for Avicta Complete Pak.

Data from 2005-06 field trials suggest that by protecting cotton seedlings against thrips, nematodes and other early season pests, AERIS can play a role in yield increases. In more than 20 university trials in 2005 and 2006, the average yield of AERIS was better than Avicta Complete Pak and the untreated checks.

Another important factor in the success of AERIS is that it has the broadest spectrum of early season pest protection, Kleyla said. The system protects against nematodes, thrips, aphids, fleahoppers and cutworms.

“Growers now have a solution regardless of their soil and environmental conditions,” Kleyla said. “Those who need superior protection can choose Temik in fields that have high insect and nematode pressures, and those who value convenience and flexibility can choose AERIS in fields that have low to moderate insect and nematode pressures.”

Additional pest protection and yield data will be presented at the 2007 Beltwide Cotton Conferences, Jan. 9-12 in New Orleans. Growers can request AERIS through the major cottonseed companies or their Bayer CropScience sales representative. For more information, visit www.cottonexperts.com or call 1-866-99-BAYER.

Bayer CropScience LP is the U.S. business of Bayer CropScience, which has its global headquarters in Monheim, Germany. Bayer CropScience, a subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual sales of about EUR 6 billion, 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 nonagricultural applications. Bayer CropScience has a global workforce of about 19,000 and is represented in more than 120 countries, ensuring proximity to dealers and consumers.