Agronomic benefits

Agronomic benefits

Seed treatment is by far the best means to protect cereal and other crops including sugar beet from seed- and soil-borne pests and diseases and pest-borne virus infections. However, it offers a range of further important benefits.

Seed-borne diseases

The right broad-spectrum seed treatment can effectively eliminate cereal seed-borne and seedling diseases such as loose smut, leaf stripe and bunt. None of these diseases can be treated using foilar sprays, and there is no commonly-available genetic resistance in today's wheat and barley varieties, so seed treatment is the only option.

Ergot in wheat

Greater efficiency

Seed treatments are compatible with Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approaches. They also reduce the need to treat crops after emergence.

They are more environmentally friendly than spray treatments which also need careful timing. Moreover, a single seed treatment may well do the job of multiple sprays. Since seeds can be precisely and professionally treated before reaching the farmer, seed treatment is an convenient and reassuring as a genetic trait.

Loose smut in barley

Improved workload and inputs

Seed treatments can ease farm workload and aid crop management with fewer inputs.

In addition, seed treatments reduce diesel consumption, energy use and manpower post-emergence by saving passes of the tractor in the crop.

Treated wheat seed

Resistance and environment

Many farmers in the UK use treated seed to reduce the risk of varietal or chemical resistance. They also see treatment as effective in environmental stewardship since significantly lower quantities of an active substance are needed for disease or pest control, with a smaller and highly-targeted part of the field being treated.

Further benefits

Seed treatment is an easier way than other alternatives to reduce take-all disease in cereals and reduce viability or ergot or Sclerotinia sclerotia in seed lots. These aren't always specifically targeted by seed treatments or genetic traits, but are major benefits.

Seed treatments save on diesel