ROCKVILLE, Md. (DTN) -- The next decade will bring some novel cotton technology to U.S. farmers.
We rounded up four new cotton traits in the pipeline -- three winding their way toward commercialization and one ready to hit fields in 2020. They include a new Bt cotton trait targeting tarnished plant bug and thrips, HPPD-tolerant cotton, low-gossypol cotton and reniform-resistant varieties.
BT COTTON FOR PLANT BUGS AND THRIPS
For more than 20 years, the Bt traits on the cotton market have only targeted caterpillar pests of cotton, such as the cotton bollworm. Now, Bayer is working to bring a new Bt cotton variety that targets a completely different class of insects -- biting and sucking pests, namely tarnished plant bugs and thrips.
Also known as lygus, the tarnished plant bug has long been one of cotton growers' most damaging pests. In 2018, it cost growers an estimated $175 million across the U.S., according to Mississippi State University's annual cotton crop loss study. The study ranked it as the second most damaging cotton insect, just behind bollworm. Thrips was another top contender, costing growers an estimated $67 million in 2018.
Bayer's new trait, MON88702, branded ThryvOn, will contain the Bt protein mCry51Aa2, which targets two types of plant bug -- Lygus lineolaris (tarnished plant bug) and Lygus hesperus (western tarnished plant bug) -- and also shows control of thrips.
Pending regulatory approvals, Bayer hopes to commercialize the trait in the early 2020s, said Bayer spokesperson Brian Leake. "We've made the necessary submissions with the USDA, FDA and EPA to secure U.S. approvals," he told DTN. "We have completed the FDA consultations and anticipate receiving USDA and EPA approvals in the near future."
The ThryvOn trait will be stacked with Bayer's Bollgard 3 XtendFlex technology, which contains three Bt traits targeting caterpillar pests, as well as tolerance to dicamba, glyphosate and glufosinate, Leake added.
LOW-GOSSYPOL COTTON
Cottonseed is a good source of protein for ruminants, but livestock such as chickens and pigs have long missed out on it as a feed option. Why? In a savvy evolutionary move, the cotton plant produces gossypol, a compound that helps protect it against insects and diseases but is toxic for non-ruminant animals and humans.
