Producers Aim to Improve Yield With Built-in Traits to Fight Weeds, Nematodes
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Drew Bailey and his father, Steve, saw the writing on the wall – or the field, in this case. Glyphosate-resistant pigweeds and reniform nematodes were limiting yield potential on their cotton acres in west Tennessee. They knew something had to change. Looking to break through the challenges, they learned that PhytoGen® brand varieties have built-in traits to address the biggest issues on their farm.
Offering better, easier-to-manage weed control, the Enlist® weed control system was a major factor in planting PhytoGen® cottonseed the first season.
Steve Bailey (left) and his son Drew farm about 7,500 acres of cotton, corn, soybeans and wheat on dryland, no-till soils in west Tennessee. They’re planting PhytoGen® cottonseed to help increase yield potential in the face of glyphosate-resistant pigweed and reniform nematodes.
“The Enlist weed control system was a big driver in our decision to plant PhytoGen,” Drew said. “It’s great to have tank-mix options, and the ability to use Enlist One and glufosinate is a big deal for us. We see the future going toward Enlist, so we wanted to be out in front of it – learning the technology, how to use it, and what works best on our farm.”
The Baileys said applications of Enlist One® herbicide have stayed on target and kept pigweeds down. They use the recommended system approach, including residual herbicides and multiple modes of action.
“We’ve had a very clean cotton crop. We overlapped preemergence herbicides and then made a post-application of Enlist One, followed by glufosinate about two weeks later,” Drew said. “We had no problems. Enlist One did not drift. We always pay attention to wind speed, neighboring crops and apply it as the label says. It worked well for us.”
The Baileys also plant Pioneer® brand Enlist E3® soybeans, which enables them to use the same sprayer across cotton and soybean acres. That saves time cleaning out the sprayer when moving between crops.
While the Enlist system was a compelling reason to plant PhytoGen cottonseed, the Baileys point out that high yield potential is the No. 1 factor for selecting cottonseed. With PhytoGen brand varieties, they get cottonseed that is bred to produce top-end yields, combined with resistance to reniform and root-knot nematodes – the one-two punch they need to battle high reniform populations in their soils.
In the fall of 2023, the Baileys sampled the soil in two fields where yields were trending downward. Both fields had reniform populations above economic thresholds. The next spring, they sampled more fields and found 56% of their acres had reniform nematodes at levels that would limit yield potential.
“We were really surprised to find reniform nematodes at high levels because we rotate fields to grain – corn, soybeans or wheat – every year,” Drew said. “We didn’t think our numbers could be very high, and I think nematodes are more prominent than many people realize.”
In addition to managing weeds and pests, they’ve found another benefit for their 100% no-till farm: Excellent early season vigor helps establish a good stand in corn residue. Drew said this was a major advantage over other cottonseed, which often struggled to come up in their no-till soils. Better early season vigor means more consistent cotton stands for a more uniform crop. That makes plant growth regulator management easier and helps provide the foundation for higher yield potential.
Years ago the Baileys implemented no-till practices to help them achieve more on their farm. In a similar way, they see PhytoGen brand varieties as a way to take advantage of newer technology to help them adapt, overcome and achieve higher yield potential with the resources they have. They believe others are noticing these benefits as well.
“There’s a growing interest in PhytoGen, and people that try PhytoGen seem to stick with it,” Drew said. “We’re looking to the future. We want to adapt to the times and stay ahead so we don’t get left behind.”
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AGRONOMY
Find information on nematode management and more in the PhytoGen Cottonseed Agronomy Library.