Cereal Facts
Seed treatments don’t cost –
they pay!
One of the most common concerns heard today about cereal production is low commodity
prices. So, every bushel counts when it comes to making a profit on cereals. It may come
as a surprise to some that using a seed treatment can mean more bushels in the bin and
more in the pocketbook come harvest.
Seed treatments have two primary functions: to foster quick germination and emergence and
to promote strong, early stand establishment. They do this by protecting seeds, roots and
young seedlings from seed- and soil-borne fungal diseases and, in some cases, insects
such as wireworms. This is not anything new for most growers, so when it comes to making the
decision on whether or not to treat, it’s a good idea to think of seed treatments in a wider
context: think of everything your young crop has to face to get out of the ground and become
well established.
Earlier seeding. Spring weather typically exposes emerging seedlings to things like cold
temperatures, wind, drought or excess moisture and so on. Crops struggling with the elements
and with early season disease are fighting two wars. This “double whammy” can have very
damaging effects on the yield potential of your cereals. For example:
• Cold temperatures after crops have emerged are quite common, especially for early-sown
crops like wheat or barley. When spring frost is heavy enough to freeze back top growth,
seedlings that are weakened by disease have a harder time recovering.
• A lack of soil moisture, extreme enough to cause plant wilting, will result in the death of many
disease-weakened seedlings, while treated seeds will hang on much better. As well, drought,
wind and high evaporation are likely to aggravate frost injury and lessen the chances of
recovery.
Overall, seedlings weakened by early season disease and soil insects often result in thin
stands with under developed root systems. Plants will generally grow slower, tiller less, are less
able to efficiently utilize available nutrients, are more susceptible to foliar diseases and are
less competitive against weeds.
Thin stands – look for the real cause
Diagnosing the cause of thin stands can be difficult, and it’s easy to misdiagnose disease or
insect damage for things like poor germination, herbicide residues or drought. Consider these
potential yield-robbing factors, all of which can be alleviated by the use of a seed treatment:
• Soil and crop residues on the Prairies contain disease pathogens such as: Fusarium spp.,
Cochliobolus spp., Pythium spp. and Gaeumannomyces spp. These lead to diseases such
as crown and foot rot, seedling blight, damping-off, common root rot and take-all, all of which
can negatively impact stand establishment.
• Cereal seeds themselves can carry diseases such
as Fusarium spp., Septoria spp., Cochliobolus spp.
and Tilletia spp. These diseases can reduce
germination, emergence and seedling vigour,
reducing cereal yields and grain quality.
• Wireworms and cutworms are considered to
be the most significant insect pests affecting
cereal stand establishment on the Prairies.
In 2005, large patches of cutworm-damaged
crop were reported in a number of areas of
Saskatchewan. And, in line with Prairie-wide
field observations of large numbers of click
beetles (the adult stage of wireworm) in 2004,
there were increased reports of crop damage
caused by wireworm larvae in 2005.
In some years, seed- or soil-borne disease and soil insect damage can
be mistaken for other causes of thin stands, such as drought, poor
germination, herbicide residues and so on. When you know the
symptoms of seedling disease and insect damage, you can easily see
the benefit that seed treatments bring.
Source: Syngenta demo program, Kindersley, Saskatchewan, 2005.
Stand assurance
The simple truth is that you can protect against all of these factors with a seed treatment.
As a starter, always test your seed at an accredited seed lab for the presence of fungal
pathogens and check the germ and vigour so you know what you’re dealing with. It’s also a
good idea to choose a broad spectrum seed treatment, like Dividend XL RTA®, that will give you
excellent protection against the toughest seed- and soil-borne diseases going. And if you know
you have a wireworm problem, get Dividend Supreme®Pak, for both early season disease and
wireworm protection.
The role of seed treatments. Using a seed treatment will help improve germination and
emergence and get the young seedlings safely through the critical early stages of growth. At
that point, the plants should have a well developed root system and stem structure, strong
enough to outgrow further early season disease and insect attack, thereby laying the foundation
for bigger yields and better quality.
Dollar for dollar, seed treatments could be your best investment to ensure a high-yielding,
easier harvesting, high-quality cereal crop.
For more information on seed- and soil-borne diseases and soil insects affecting cereals,
their symptoms of damage and how seed treatments can protect the genetic potential of your
cereal crops, call Syngenta’s Customer Resource Centre to get your copy of Cereal Stand
Establishment: A Guide to Best Management Practices.
Committed to helping you grow the best cereal crop.
For more information, call our Customer Resource Centre at 1-87-SYNGENTA (1-877-964-3682) or visit www.FarmAssist.ca
DIVIDEND, XL, RTA, DIVIDEND SUPREME and the Syngenta logo are registered trademarks of a Syngenta group company.
®
2605/02/06/CEF2