Should you be treating your soybeans this season? If you’ve never used soybean seed treatment before you probably have questions. To help you with this decision, we sat down with Precision Ag Specialist, Nolan Berg to get his perspective.
A: There are several prevalent issues that seed treatment can help you defend against. While active ingredients vary, the common problems treatments can address in our region include:
A: Our modern-day seed has great genetic potential but there’s a lot for a seed to overcome from planting to emergence. Protecting that potential in cold and wet spring planting is crucial and extending protection of plants in poor areas of the field can help increase yield. A small increase in yield can more than cover the cost of treatment.
A: 1) When planting into cold, wet spring conditions. This creates a lot of disease pressure that seed treatment can combat. 2) If you are lowering seeding rates. Seed treatment can reduce risk and help protect the seed that is there. 3) Anytime you’re planting in fields with disease history. This is a defensive strategy.
You should look at products with high active ingredients that protect against the diseases faced here. In the Upper Midwest we deal with Pythium and Phytophthora so our treatments, Peterson Select and Peterson Select+, have high rates of all ingredients, especially Metalaxyl, which increases the effectiveness against those diseases.
A: There are a few “types” of treatments. In some cases a field may require all of them to combat disease. Your Peterson Farms Seed dealer can help you determine what will be the best strategy for your farm.
If you’re considering treated soybeans this year or have questions about Peterson Select or Peterson Select+ soybean treatments, give Nolan a call at (701) 282-7476 or email nolan@petersonfarmsseed.com.