BASF announces Axant Flex Cotton has received awaited key import approvals, giving a green light to planting the new stacked trait cotton in the U.S., starting in 2024.
Axant Flex cotton technologies include Axant Flex Herbicide Tolerance Technology and Axant Flex TwinLink Plus Insect Control Technologies.
Herbicide tolerance currently includes glyphosate, glufosinate and dicamba, and HPPD tolerance is pending. BASF officials note isoxaflutole (the HPPD mode of action) has not yet been approved for use on Axant Flex TwinLink Plus cotton by the U.S. EPA.
The stacked trait has been bred into FiberMax and Stoneville cotton germplasms for yield potential, fiber quality and insect and weed control. Cotton growers will no longer have to sacrifice fiber quality for weed control, according to Bryan Perry, BASF head of seeds and traits.
“Our diverse germplasm pool provides the highest-quality fiber on the market, along with industry-leading yield performance, so growers can be confident that they have the most innovative tools needed for a successful season,” Perry says.
Limited Launch Next Year
The company is planning a limited release of Axant Flex Cotton seed varieties for next season, according to Justin Jones, BASF cotton marketing manager.
“Availability will vary by geography, so I’d ask growers to reach out to their local advisor to get more specifics,” he says.
“We currently have seven lines that we’re reviewing for potential launch. And along with the herbicide package available will be native traits to protect against root knot nematode, reniform nematode and certain diseases, such as bacterial leaf blight,” Jones adds.
Jones says BASF has seen an uptick in cotton farmers needing to address nematodes. “We are seeing more root knot nematode issues and will be offering two native traits to address it,” Jones says. “Reniform is more of what I would call a localized pest, but it can be very detrimental for those farmers who have to deal with it, and we have a solution for that as well.”
He says the new technology is a continuation of BASF’s work to be an innovator on cotton acres from a herbicide chemistry as well as from a seed technology standpoint.
“We will have a ton of data behind these products and a lot of information on where they will fit and yield best,” Jones says.
He adds, “With this Axant Flex technology, we’re really bringing forward the traditional Stoneville germ plasm with over a 100-year history that people have grown to love along with the native traits and the agronomic characteristics that growers expect in a Stoneville and FiberMax bag. There should be Stoneville or FiberMax product for just about everybody.”
