It is estimated that from 1997 to 2007 the suppression of yield in US soybean acres was close to 1 BILLION bushels! The majority of this yield loss can be attributed to 4 major pathogens: Pythium, Rhizoctonia, Phytophthora and Fusarium. Unfortunately, a large majority of our southeastern soils harbor these pathogens. In addition to disease pressure, insects, as well as environmental and soil conditions, conspire to rob you of maximizing yield on your acre.
Seed treatments are a key component to any cropping system. Soybeans are no different. Seed treatment prescriptions customized for your acre will position your soybeans for early season success and maximizing yield potential.
The term seed treatment is a broad term covering the application of fungicides, insecticides, plant growth regulators, root promoters, and/or inoculants directly to the seed. Accurate and precise applications of these products are vital to the success of your soybean seed treatment program. Coastal AgroBusiness ensures proper rate, coverage, uniformity and handling of your seed by utilizing state-of-the art seed treatment equipment.
Seed treatments are customized to fit the specific needs of your crop and give your crop a combination of these benefits:
- Fungicides protect seed or seedlings from early season diseases. There are no environmental and soil conditions where at least one of the 4 major pathogens is not present. The charts below describe the environments where these pathogens thrive, making your untreated seed susceptible to infection.
- Insecticides protect seed and seedlings from a host of insects such as thrips, bean leaf beetles, leaf hoppers, and a myriad of others.
- Nematicides. Severe nematode pressure will result in stunted, yellow, and uneven stands due to the nematodes attacking the root system. However, light nematode pressure is subtle and could go unnoticed above ground. Both situations limit yield potential. Including a nematicide in your treatment prescription coupled with the right variety selection is your best defense in battling nematodes.
- Plant and Root Growth Promoters increase vigor after germination, ensure uniform seedling emergence and optimize root development. The use of plant growth hormones also enhances the plant’s performance later in the growing season. Increase in plant vigor and root development play a key role in the plant’s ability to handle stress, but also help the crop canopy quicker. This is imperative to ensure the success of any weed management program.
- Inoculants: Soybeans are legumes, which are plants that have the ability to capture atmospheric nitrogen and convert it to a form the plant can use. Essential to this conversion process is a soybean specific bacteria, Rhizobium Japonicum. This is a naturally occurring bacterium found in our soils, but environmental factors and cropping systems affect the population. Adding an inoculant to your seed treatment prescription ensures that every seed will have Rhizobium on it, compared to a hopper box treatment or no treatment at all.
Pro-Shield is Coastal’s brand of seed treatments. Pro-Shield is a prescribed combination of seed protection products that Coastal professionally applies, using our state-of-the-art seed treating equipment, to protect and enhance southeastern crops.
Do seed treatments pay for themselves? The answer is yes. Growers consistently see a return on their seed treatment investment with increased yield year over year. Talk with your local Coastal representative to determine which seed treatment prescription is right for YOU!
Coastal AgroBusiness, Inc
Contributions: Tom McKemie, Martin Purvis, Jim Pearce
