Scott, Mississippi
August 4, 2003

DP 494 RR fiber and yield package looks good

Delta and Pine Land Company (D&PL) recently announced commercialization plans for its new Roundup Ready product that performed well last season as an experimental variety. The newly named DP 494 RR exhibited potential for fiber quality and showed good yield stability in limited tests last season.

“If producers are looking for a Roundup Ready variety with the fiber quality potential of  DP 491, this product is a good choice,” says Jim Willeke, vice president of sales and marketing at D&PL. “DP 491 is the recurrent parent of DP 494 RR. Many producers – especially those in South Texas – are familiar with the quality fiber and yield stability DP 491 offers. DP 494 RR looks to be every bit as good, with the added benefit of state-of-the-art weed control technology.”

A mid- to full-season variety, DP 494 RR looks good in South Texas, where many producers have turned to Roundup Ready cotton varieties. This product should also find a fit in the Central Texas Blacklands and southern parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia and South Carolina.

In 2003, DP 494 RR is being tested in University official variety trials, as well as in D&PL agronomic services tests. A limited commercial launch is scheduled for 2004.

“Once producers realize the great potential for quality fiber and the solid yield performance DP 494 RR offers, the product will be in great demand in the South Texas market,” Willeke says. “We encourage producers in mid- to full-season markets of the Belt to check out DP 494 RR in their state university variety tests this year. We think they will be impressed.”

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. For more information, please refer to the company’s website at www.deltaandpine.com.

Roundup Ready is a registered trademark of Monsanto.