Seed treatments as part of an integrated pest management programme

The ultimate aim of any farmer is to grow a healthy crop that will be able to withstand the onslaughts of pests and disease during the season. A healthy crop is more likely to realise its yield potential and deliver a return on the grower’s investment.

Pest and disease management is one of the prerequisites of maintaining agricultural productivity, ensuring food safety and sustaining farm operations. It is imperative that farmers invest in the protection of their crops against pests and diseases as any infestation that causes major crop failure can be fatal to their business and ultimately to food security.

Pest management, however, forms only one part of overall crop production. It cannot be considered in isolation. As agricultural research and farming practices are increasingly driven by the need for sustainable agriculture and a lower impact on the environment, so farmers and input suppliers must constantly consider alternative and more effective ways of managing crops. While adapting to these challenges, pest and disease control remains one of the key aspects that has to be managed throughout the year.

The ultimate goal of any pest control programme is to act preventatively instead of curatively. It also aims to suppress pest populations and damage.

Pests can be controlled by implementing the following:

Chemical control methods, including seed treatments.
Cultural control methods such as crop rotation, planting locally adapted and/or pest resistant or tolerant varieties, as well as the manipulation of planting dates.
Biological control by using natural enemies of pests.
Mechanical control through cultivation practices or pest trapping.
Biotechnology – for more than 25 years an increasing number of farmers have chosen to cultivate crops containing GM traits to control certain lepidoptera species and to manage weeds.

Chemical control methods include the following:

Herbicides to control weeds. Weeds can also act as host plants for various pest insects and disease vectors.
Insecticides. Some insecticides are applied directly onto the plant foliage to treat above-ground pests such as lepidoptera, moths or aphids, and others are incorporated into the soil to control soil-dwelling insect pests. For foliar applications to be effective, timing is crucial. Insecticides can also be used as seed treatments for protection against soil-dwelling insects and pathogens and to protect the germinating seed and seedling against pests and disease.
Fungicides to control pathogenic organisms.

Integrated pest management (IPM) programmes focus on the long-term management of pests, their damage and the consequences through combining biological, cultural, physical, and chemical control methods – including seed treatments. The aim of IPM programmes is to restore balance and keep pests and diseases down to an acceptable level.

An IPM programme starts with scouting to identify the pest, the pest population as well as the severity of the infestation. The following is important in an IPM programme:

The accurate identification of pests.
Regular and continuous monitoring of pests and crop damage.
Determining the threshold levels to know when action is needed.
Prevention.

Seed treatments

Although seed contains the yield potential the farmer hopes to achieve, good genetics alone cannot address all the challenges a crop faces during a season.

Maximum yield potential begins at the start of the season with a uniform, healthy, optimal stand. There are, however, a plethora of soil-borne insects and diseases that can harm seeds and seedlings, especially during the first couple of days.

Regenerative conservation agriculture practices such as reduced tillage and cover crops provide many benefits, but these practices may also result in cooler soil temperatures and a damp environment, as well as leave plant residues that can act as hosts for pathogens. These circumstances can increase disease and insect prevalence. Because seed treatments protect the newly planted seed and seedlings against these pests and diseases, farmers can follow more sustainable cultivation practices.

Yield = G x E x M

G – genetics: seed treatment protect genetic potential.

E – environment: seed treatment against pest and diseases enables the development of a healthy root system.

M – management: seed treatment as part of integrated pest management programme.

Reducing risk

Seed treatments is about reducing risk. Seed treatments offer seeds and seedlings that extra defence enabling a healthy start to the season, particularly in areas or circumstances where cold or wet conditions might hinder early growth and vigour.

Seedborne pathogens can affect the health of a plant and thus reduce the yield as well as the quality of the harvested crop. Seed treatments protect plant seedlings from pathogen attacks at emergence and during the early growth stages, contributing to healthy plants and good yields.

Seed treatments are also more environmentally friendly, requiring less active ingredient per ha than pesticides. With granule or in-furrow applications, the application rate of an active ingredient per ha can be up to 10 times higher than with a seed treatment.

Benefits of seed treatments:

The product is applied exactly where it is needed to protect the developing seedling.
No product is lost due to an indirect or wrong application.
The pest is controlled early in the season.
Seed treatment products typically create a protective zone around the planted seed and/or seedling. Other seed treatment products are systemic and provide prolonged protection.
When seed treatment products are used according to the product label instructions, treated seeds are safe for people to use and for the environment. As part of Syngenta’s stewardship initiatives, we provide training for seed treatment applicators and farmers on how to properly apply treatments and handle treated seed.