Tips from the Field
Agronomy Update | Cereal Seed Treatments
Growing a great crop starts by putting little seeds into the ground. Seed treatments can help ensure that your crop gets off the best possible start.
Sending seed away for germination, cold stress test, and fungal screens helps to set expectations for success before seeding. Seed can carry pathogens like fusarium species, pythium, smuts, bunts, or rhizoctonia which can affect germination, vigor and lead to poor plant establishment. Treating your seed will offer protection against seed and soil borne diseases, optimizing seedling vigor and aiding in uniform emergence.
Pathogens that cause damage to cereal crops are always present in your soil. The table below shows what pathogens thrive in the conditions we experience on the prairies each spring. Bottom line: even in dry conditions, pathogens may still cause problems.
Guidelines to applying seed treatment effectively
- Ensure seed source is clean and free of dust. Insufficient dust management can increase the risk of a tacky residue that can potentially reduce seed flowability, cause bridging in seeding equipment, and issues with metering systems in seed drills.
- Avoid treating cold or frozen seed. Treating cold seed may result in the treatment not adhering properly to the seed.
- Calibrate treating equipment. Getting the right treatment rate on the seed will ensure best results. Overtreating could cause germination issues. Under treating could result in the seed treatment not working effectively on the pathogens that might be present.
- Allow seed to dry properly before handling.
- Wear proper PPE while treating.
There are many different seed treatment options available. Your local UFA sales team will ensure that you are using the right product on your farm to get the crop off to the best possible start!
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