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Early Management Tips for Maximizing Cotton Performance

Deltapine® brand Bollgard® 3 ThryvOn® cotton with XtendFlex® Technology varieties offer strong yield potential, insect protection, and a flexible and effective weed control system. Staying on top of weed management and early growth control is important to optimizing variety performance

Rotate Chemistries

Starting with a clean field and managing weeds after planting when they are less than 4 inches tall is essential for preserving yield potential in cotton fields.

The EPA recently announced a two-year registration for over-the-top (OTT) low-volatility dicamba herbicides, restoring a useful tool for growers planting the XtendFlex trait. Included in the EPA registration is Bayer’s Stryax™ dicamba herbicide, a restricted-use pesticide, for the 2026 season.

“Growers need weed control options, and Stryax offers growers another tool to manage weeds, especially glyphosate-resistant broadleafs,” said Jay Mahaffey, Science Fellow and manager of the Bayer Scott Learning Center in Mississippi. “Effective weed management strategies combine a strong preemergence herbicide with timely postemergence applications.”

A wide-angle shot of a flat agricultural field with young, green seedlings growing in long, diagonal rows. The soil appears sandy and dry with visible tire tracks, and a dense line of green trees sits under an overcast sky in the background.

Burndown herbicide applications are an essential first step to protecting young cotton seedlings during their first 40 days. Preemergence applications that include residual herbicides should start at planting or immediately afterward to help provide a clean start for young cotton plants, allowing them to grow and develop free of competition for moisture or nutrients. Sequential herbicide applications combining different sites of action, as well as foliar and residual activity, can promote effective weed management plans.

After cotton emerges, it is important to continue to rotate chemistries. For the first early post-directed application, Warrant® herbicide should be included. Warrant herbicide is an acetochlor-based preemergence and postemergence residual herbicide with microencapsulated technology that helps provide improved crop safety and residual weed control for up to 30 days after application. The herbicide provides preemergence, residual control of grass and small-seeded broadleaf weeds. Roundup PowerMAX® herbicide should be included in herbicide applications for managing a variety of grasses.

Growth Management

Plant growth regulator (PGR) use is a critical component of a modern cotton management system. Most cotton fields should receive some amount of PGR as soon as the label allows.

Using the correct rate of PGR matters, particularly as it interacts with plant size. PGR rates should generally be reduced in dry, low-growth conditions and increased in high-growth environments or in fields with productive soils, all while considering varietal background and PGR response, surviving plant population in the field, and expected weather conditions and/or rainfall.

PGRs reallocate energy within the cotton plant from vegetative to reproductive growth, promoting fruit fill rather than excessive vegetative growth. Application of PGR can be a delicate balance. When done right, it can lead to adequate numbers of nodes and, thereby, fruiting sites, which help plants to reach their optimal yield potential.

A vibrant agricultural field featuring rows of healthy, bushy green plants stretching toward the horizon. The soil between the rows is dark and appears moist, and the field is set under a clear blue sky with a few distant farm buildings on the horizon.

Deltapine brand Bollgard 3 ThryvOn cotton with XtendFlex Technology varieties can help protect the crop against early-season key thrips species.* That control helps support healthier plants and the opportunity to reach pinhead stage rapidly.**

“PGRs are typically applied to all varieties and technologies at similar stages,” said Mahaffey. “The aggressive early crop development in cotton varieties with ThryvOn Technology may require early-season PGR management in some varieties. Stance® Plant Growth Regulator is a good product for starting early cotton PGR programs.”

A start clean and stay clean approach to weed management and timely PGR applications based on the rate of plant development can help Deltapine brand cotton varieties reach their full performance potential.

Visit Deltapine.com for more about weed management in ThryvOn Technology for cotton and Bayer Scott Learning Center for field research reports for tips on a range of cotton management needs.

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*Scouting is critical to determine which and how many insecticide applications are recommended to avoid economic loss greater than pest management costs (i.e., when economic thresholds are met). Check with your local state extension university for the latest spraying recommendations.

**Based on research performed at the Bayer Scott Learning Center.

Disclaimer

Always read and follow pesticide label directions, insect resistance management requirements (where applicable), and grain marketing and all other stewardship practices.