Agriculture is reliant on seed production. They are the first step in a crop’s lifecycle, and if seeds do not germinate, the crop will fail. Diseases, pests, and environmental pressures all pose problems for seeds. While seeds can overcome these obstacles on their own, seed augmentation can improve their chances of success. Seed treatment is one of the most effective methods for promoting seed growth and reducing the problems that they experience.
Seed treatment is the process of applying biological, physical, and chemical agents and processes to save seeds. By enhancing disease resistance and promoting uniform germination, seed treatment can help promote healthy crops. While standard crop protection measures applied to large-scale crops have their place, seed treatment can meet the demands of each individual seed. Seed treatment improves seed resistance, making them more resistant to insect attacks and environmental challenges. Chemical or biological seed treatments can protect seeds from soil-borne pathogens, seed-borne insects, diseases, and pests starting at the germination phase and continuing through the first stage of the crop cycle, protecting them from soil-borne pathogens, seed-borne insects, diseases, and pests.
Types of Seed Treatment For Healthy Crops
Many seed treatments are employed alone or in combination, to remove or prevent a variety of pests, diseases, and nutrient deficiencies, as well as to promote plant growth. Examples are fungicides, insecticides, inoculants, plant growth regulators, fertilizers, and fertilizer enhancers.
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Fungicides And Insecticide
These treatments help protect seeds and seedlings from disease as well as control pests that attack seedlings early in the season when they are most vulnerable.
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Microbial inoculants
Microbial inoculants are seed treatment agents that can promote plant growth, enhance soil biodiversity, and even solve specific difficulties such as legume nitrogen fixation. This method delivers helpful microbes directly to the point where the plant makes contact with the soil, promoting growth.
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Plant Growth Regulators
Plant growth regulators give seedlings an extra boost in terms of germination and stress tolerance during the key early phases of growth. This seed germination therapy is very beneficial when seeds must germinate under difficult conditions.
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Fertilizers
Another type of seed treatments that aids in plant growth is fertilizer seed treatment. Seed treatments using biofertilizers can improve fertilizer efficacy or provide micronutrients to the soil, enriching the seedling growth environment.
Factors When Selecting a Seed Treatment
Do you use low tillage strategies to seed into cold soil? When compared to traditional systems, soil temperatures at sowing time are frequently lower. A soil temperature of about 5 °C, which is typical for low-tillage sowing, is warm enough for crop germination and emergence but not ideal. Crop establishment is slowed by cold soil, allowing seed-borne and soil-borne illnesses to infect the plant. Seed treatments will protect the plant against several seed-borne and probably soil-borne illnesses in these slow-growing conditions.
Have you tested your seed for diseases that are found only in seeds? It is possible that your seed has been contaminated with a disease that was present in the crop from which it was harvested. Most seed-borne diseases, including fusarium and smuts, can be prevented with a proper seed treatments. If you purchase pedigree seed, the seed certificate of analysis should state whether any damaged kernels are present and what disease they cause.
Seed Treatment
Is there insect pressure at the time of sowing seeding, currently or in the past? Flea beetles can be a big issue in the establishment of canola crops. Although you can control flea beetles with a foliar insecticide, a seed treatment with an insecticide will protect the plant from insect harm from the moment it emerges until several weeks later.
How are you planning to rotate your crops? When the same crop is cultivated year after year, disease inoculum is formed in the soil. There is a high potential for soil-borne disease to occur repeatedly in the second year of barley. Although some seed treatments can reduce potential damage from some of these soil-borne diseases, it is still a good idea to avoid planting the same crop type year after year. You will not only protect the crop currently being cultivated but also avoid the build-up of disease inoculum in the soil for the type of crop in the future, by following thorough crop rotation and using good grade seed treatments.
Why Should Use Seed Treatment?
Seed treatment should be viewed as a precautionary measure to ensure that the best possible crop is produced under the conditions. If growing conditions are favorable, seed treatments may not be needed. However, if the growing conditions are not ideal initially, the benefits of seed treatment often outweigh the expense. Proper crop establishment is one of the most important steps in crop development. Any negative impact at this stage will impact later stages, potentially affecting yields. Growers can use seed treatment to help achieve maximum crop yield.
The Benefits of Seed Treatment
There are many benefits of seed treatment, which is why farmers choose it. Some of these benefits are as follows:
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Organic Seed Treatment Guards Against Insects and Diseases
One of the most important benefits of seed treatment is that it provides additional protection to the seeds. It is important that the seeds do not fall prey to diseases or pests in the early stages of development, or they will fail to germinate. If seeds are not treated to increase their disease resistance, there is a risk of spreading plant diseases, but this can be avoided if they are treated.
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Controlling Soil Insects With Seed Treatments
Seed treatment is beneficial not only for the seed but also for the soil. It has the ability to suppress soil insects, while also providing much-needed nutrients and beneficial microbes that aid in plant growth.
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Seed Treatment Helps in Germination
Seed germination is affected by a number of factors, but seed treatment can boost germination prospects. Since all seeds are given seed treatment equally, it can help the crop to germinate evenly. The seed treatment formulations are unique and safe for crops, and they were created to minimize any potential harm, such as delayed germination or irregular emergence, as well as the phytotoxic effects that make formulations rejected for other uses in the field.
Disadvantages of Seed Treatments
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Under Heavy Pest Pressure, Protection is Limited
High pest pressure can cause significant damage to the crop. Even if the pests devour the treated seedlings are killed, each ‘attack’ causes damage, which when added together can be large enough to induce seedling damage.
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Limited Shelf Life of the Treated Seed
Highly treated seeds are not suitable for grain production. This is a particularly important limitation for seeds such as soybeans, which quickly lose germination and vigor.
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Period of Protection
The seed treatment may not provide adequate protection for the establishing crop for long enough. Pesticides degrade more quickly in warm, damp environments.
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Phytotoxicity
Some seed remedies can be phytotoxic when used in large amounts. Seeds that have become cracked, sprouted, or rough are extremely poisonous.
Conclusion
Jace Industries is one of the leading providers of organic seed treatments for your healthy crops. Growers can use our pharmacological and biological seed treatments to increase crop production as well as achieve broad-spectrum insect and disease protection. We are also making strides in seed health, with seed treatment service programs in a variety of sectors bringing the latest technologies directly to growers.
For more detail visit our website.
