Considering soybean seed treatment but don’t know where to begin? We’ve put together an overview of the three main types of treatments and how they can protect your crop this year.
By shielding soybeans from threats at their most vulnerable stage of development, seed treatments are a crucial component to any comprehensive season-long protection plan to ward off diseases and pests in soybeans.
Effective soybean seed treatments can result in more successful early planting, higher rate of emergence, increased overall plant vigor, and more uniform stands. In fact, research has shown that planting treated seeds may enable you to reduce planting populations (and therefore, reduce soybean seed cost).¹
Additionally, soybean seed treatments reduce the total volume and frequency of pesticide applications, once again saving cost and labor.
Choosing the right soybean seed treatment
Learn how you can maximize your soybean yield with treated soybean seed. The three main types of soybean seed treatments are:
1. Soybean seed treatment: Fungicide
Soybean fungicide seed treatments help protect seeds from both seedborne fungal pathogens and soilborne pathogens that infect seedlings and roots.
Fungicide treatments are recommended whenever you’re planting into the following conditions:
- Fields with a history of seedling diseases such as soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS)
- Early planted fields with cool soils
- When using soybean seed with low emergence or crop vigor scores
- Cool, wet and/or compacted soils
- Fields with history of flooding
- Fields that were planted in soybeans last year
- Varieties that are susceptible to soilborne diseases such as Phytophthora root and stem rot and/or SDS
2. Soybean seed treatment: Insecticide
Pest management before V2 is important to protect young soybean plants from injury.
When planting in fields with a high level of decomposing organic matter such as green-planted cover crops and manure, insecticide treatments are especially valuable.
Additionally, insecticide seed treatments should be considered to protect soybeans from bean leaf beetle infestations, which can leave injured plants at risk for bean pod mottle virus.
3. Soybean seed treatment: Nematicide
If your field has a history of soybean cyst nematode and other nematodes, nematicide seed treatments may be able to build foundational protection to guard soybean roots from damage. Start with soil testing to determine whether nematode populations are within a range that can be effectively addressed by soybean seed treatment.
While soybean seed treatments on their own are not considered sufficient protection against soybean cyst nematode, they can be a valuable part of an integrated approach to managing SCN and provide another layer of protection to slow SCN populations from building resistance to control methods.²
Learn more about soybean seed treatments
While soybean seed treatments aren’t a cure-all, if properly applied within the first few weeks after planting and paired with other product families, you can maximize soybean seed treatments’ efficacy and subsequent crop products.
Experts are available to help you make your decisions. Reach out to your seed retailer, a nearby extension office agent, or a seed company professional like your regional BASF representative.
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Endnotes
- Porter, Stephanie. “Why Seed Treatment on Soybeans?” Field Advisor, 21 Aug. 2024, fieldadvisor.org/why-seed-treatment-on-soybeans/. Accessed 12 Jan. 2025.
- Porter. “Why Seed Treatment on Soybeans?”
