The Misconception of Fully-Treated Soybeans
Since I started selling seed over a decade ago, I have found that seed treatments can be a common area of confusion for farmers. Most farmers ask if the beans are fully-treated; I have always found this to be a strange question because not every seed dealer has the same treatments. It is like comparing a fully-loaded Kia to a fully-loaded Cadillac. Technically, they are both fully-loaded, but that doesn’t mean you have the same car. There are seven different components of seed treatment, and most seed dealers have a recipe they follow for each treatment. They may turn one product on or another off but will typically run the same products each time. But I will ask, how many features of a “fully-loaded” seed treatment are you going to use anyway?
I encourage you to think of seed treatment as more of an à la carte menu. How many of the seven components are in your “full treatment”, and which ones do you actually need? When most are talking about full treatment, they are generally only including two to four of the possible seven options. Of all the options, how many do you agronomically need and how many are you buying because your seed rep recommends them for every acre? I fully believe that not all acres are created equal. Acres can vary in inoculum, propensity of disease, or threats of yield robbing pests. Your fields need to be treated differently based on their risk factors. So, let’s talk about the seven seed treatment options and the protection they offer.
Fungicide
This is the base of most seed treatments. Almost all seed treatments have some level of metalaxyl which is the cheapest, most effective seed treatment against pythium and phytophthora. However, metalaxyl does very little to protect against rhizoctonia or fusarium. Most treatments do contain one more fungicide to go after rhizoctonia or fusarium, but again, not all treatments are created equal. Fungicides will often increase seed germination percentages above the labeled rates, and sometimes these increases are even substantially higher than the label. Increasing germination rates can be crucial for those choosing to plant beans early.
Insecticide
Common insecticides in seed treatments are neonicotinoids, which protect against early season insect feeding. Neonicotinoids go after bean leaf beetles, seed corn maggots and cutworms. There are a few places where you can expect to find more insect activity. Insecticides are highly recommended for fields coming out of pasture or where manure has recently been applied.
Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS)
The SDS seed treatment market has been dominated by ILeVO for the past five years. But be very cautious about what you are getting with these types of products, particularly if you hear of someone selling them far cheaper than others. Oftentimes they are selling the lowest label rate, so it’s important to understand the rates to verify if you’re actually getting a super deal. In the next few years, we’ll see several other SDS protection seed treatments come to the market.
Nematicide
Nematodes, microscopic worms that are far more active in sandy soils, are something that we have talked about a lot; most of the time we are focused on Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN). Currently, ILeVO contains the most used nematicide, which is a nematicide and fungicide mix. However, we are in the process of testing several new nematicides.
Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs)
Commonly referred to as PGRs, these compounds are synthetic or extracted from natural products to make plants emerge or grow faster. We have future tests planned for this seed treatment, and even though there are currently several companies showing promise, they do not have a lot of results that offset the cost of this product class yet.
Inoculants and Biologicals
Inoculants and biologicals are an interesting part of the seed treatment puzzle. Rhizoba bacteria, living microbes that colonize on the roots, aid in nitrogen fixing. Keep in mind they are living microbes that will die, so I recommend planting within 30 days of an inoculant seed treatment. I also strongly recommend inoculants on fields that have not had a legume planted in the last two years.
Seed Coating and Flowability Aides
Seed coating refers to the colorant on the seed and is often confused with the amount of seed treatment applied. The color of the seed treatment is used to protect the food chain and is required by law, but the darkness of the colorant has very little to do with the amount of active ingredients. Another thing to remember, just because the treatment is the same color does not mean they are the same treatments!
Flowability aides are very shimmery and look a lot like glitter. In Hills, we use a flowability aid product called Pizazz to prevent flaking and treatment build-up on our seed treating equipment. With Pizazz, you will not need talc in the planter, but you will most likely need graphite to lubricate the row units.
At Stutsman’s, we offer all these components in some form or another, including the recent addition of a dry applicator. I hope this sheds some light on what components make up seed treatments and helps you make better informed decisions on treatment options.