DuPont FirstPick provides quick boll opening
May 5, 2006 12:00 PM
New DuPont FirstPick cotton harvest aid/defoliant provides superior boll opening to help cotton growers stay on schedule during harvest, according to Robert Etheridge, DuPont product manager.
“FirstPick provides the quickest, most consistent boll opening of any ethephon product,” said Etheridge. “That means growers can begin picking as quickly as possible, even during difficult weather conditions.”
University of Georgia trials show that an early start can minimize yield and quality losses that have proven to cost nearly $17 per acre for every week a crop remains in the field.
When used in combination with reduced rates of appropriate defoliant tank-mix partners, FirstPick can enhance the defoliant activity which provides excellent value to growers, according to DuPont.
FirstPick is formulated to be easy to use. It is 100 percent water soluble so it mixes, sprays and cleans up easily. FirstPick won't clog spraying equipment either.
Tim Hardage of Bailey Flying Service in Plainview, Texas, had an opportunity to evaluate FirstPick under challenging conditions last season. “Ten days after treatment, everybody wanted to see that field because FirstPick did such a fantastic job,” he said. “I'd say there was at least 95 percent or more leaf drop and excellent boll opening. FirstPick did everything we wanted it to do.”
Retailer and grower Wig Weathers saw similar results on his farm in St. George, S.C. “It really opened the bolls, and the bolls were fluffy,” he said. “Overall, I was very impressed with FirstPick.”
DuPont recommends applying FirstPick when enough unopened bolls have developed to provide the desired cotton yield, usually around 60 to 80 percent open. A use rate of 2 quarts per acre, in an approved tank-mix combination, is effective in most situations.
“FirstPick requires fewer rate adjustments than competitive products, even in variable weather or crop conditions,” Etheridge said. “It provides the consistency of performance necessary to plan your harvest and then stay on schedule.”
