A Spring Made for Seed Treatments
When soybeans go into the ground this spring, it is likely it will into wet soil which is the perfect environment for three of the top diseases that hit young plants. Jarrod Thomas, with Monsanto, says these three diseases are Pythium, Phytophthora1, both of which thrive in cold and wet conditions, “And when the wet soil warms up, Rhizoctonia can show up. The common thread here is the wet, and we certainly have that this spring.” He added the weather we are having across the Corn Belt is the perfect environment for these diseases.
Seed treatments like Acceleron® can give young plants the protection they need during the first 30 days. But Thomas warns growers to make sure they are mixing their modes of action when choosing a seed treatment. “Some seed treatments only have 2 fungicides, but Acceleron has 3 fungicides with 2 different modes of action for each of the 3 diseases.” Thompson added that Acceleron also has an insecticide that protects young plants from insect pressure during the first 30 days of growth. Acceleron® Seed Treatment Products are the only seed treatments designed to help maximize performance potential in Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® Soybeans.
Thompson told HAT, with planting being late this year, it is important to get the crops off to a good start and avoid replanting, “You want to get your crop off to a good, fast, and healthy start to avoid yield loss or the need to replant.”
Another issue that many Indiana growers faced in 2014 was Sudden Death Syndrome, SDS. Thompson said the ILeVO seed treatment is a great way to prevent yield loss from this unpredictable disease. While the effects of SDS don’t show up until later in the season, initial infections occur on the roots and crowns of young soybean plants as early as the seedling stage.