When does it make sense to invest in additional corn or soybean seed treatment protection? Not every field and set of conditions calls for one, but growers can sometimes benefit greatly from their use.
Corn seed almost always comes with a treatment package that includes both disease and insect protection. But understanding your fields needs can help you decide if you need to buy seed with additional protection. With soybeans, there are less seed treatments by default and you likely will want to request additional protection.
Learn when a seed treatment can prove beneficial by protecting your crop from yield loss.
1. Guard seeds with seed treatments in poor early-season conditions
Increased yield, earlier harvesting and reduced weed pressure are just a few of the many benefits of planting early. However, to capitalize on these benefits, you must protect your seed from early-season risks.
A myriad of early-season field conditions can wreak havoc on seed germination and establishment. Weather conditions such as cold temperatures, excessive rainfall and flooding can contribute to unfavorable seedbeds that cause plant stress.
Cold, wet soils are a perfect environment for seedling diseases like sudden death syndrome (SDS) in soybeans or seed blights and root rot in corn.
Under these conditions, root development is slowed and crops are also more susceptible to soil-borne pathogens including Phytophthora, Pythium, Rhizoctonia or Fusarium.
Seed treatments help protect seeds from early-season damage. Due to their positive effect on overall plant vigor, they help seeds germinate and emerge quickly, making them less susceptible to plant stressors. Most corn and soybean seed treatments for diseases, insects and nematodes are applied by the seed company. Most corn seed companies have their own treatment cocktails. Some soybean seed treatment is done at the retailer level or on the farm.
Additionally, seed treatments can promote plant growth and health, allowing plants to form a stronger biological shield against nematode damage throughout the growing season.
2.How seed treatments can protect fields with a history of disease
Especially in fields with a history of diseases like SDS, soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Phytophthora and other seed blights, seed treatments can help reduce yield loss.
Many pathogens can overwinter in fields in crop residue or winter annual weeds, waiting to infect newly planted seed in the spring. Proper residue management and weed control can help, but it won’t entirely eliminate the threat of infections from fields with a history of disease.
Using a seed treatment is a simple and effective way to give your seed the best chance to combat devastating early-season disease.
3. Using seed treatments to control fields with a history of insect pests
Battling insect pests throughout the season can be time-consuming and challenging, but without proper management, insect pest damage can prove costly. Corn and soybean seed treatments are a targeted way to protect your seed from insect damage without affecting off-target, beneficial insects.
By controlling damage from above- and below-ground insect pests, you also reduce the risk of plants becoming infected with fungal, bacterial or viral diseases, which often target insect damage sites.
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.
