Ask Carl: Seed Treatment
Q. Should I use seed treatments on my soybeans?
A. Ok, so I was asked to write a short column on that question. This will be short: YES!!!
What? That isn’t complete enough? Maybe the question should be: “When should I use seed treatments on my soybeans.” Answer: When you plant them!!!
Ok, maybe that is a bit too glib. The thing is, we have been talking about this question for more than 20 years. The test results that entire time have been clear. You nearly always see an advantage in stand establishment with a seed treatment. And sometimes that translates into a yield improvement.
So if there is only a yield improvement sometimes, why would I recommend that you always use a seed treatment? Because with today’s higher prices, the amount of yield increase needed to cover the cost of the treatment is much less than the average increase in yield, even considering that sometimes you will not see a yield improvement.
The other point to remember is that most yield trials are conducted under favorable conditions. You wouldn’t run a yield trial in that wet spot down on the corner of your worst field, but that is where you will most likely see the most dramatic results. In addition, planting rates have decreased significantly over the past few years. This will increase the percentage of time that a seed treatment will show yield results because the loss of a few plants at emergence will have a more significant effect on yield.
If we are lucky, we get about 40 crops in a farming career. That means, for me, I only have 10-12 crops left. Am I going to risk a reduction in this year’s soybean crop to save a few dollars per acre on seed treatment? Not a chance! How about you?
Have a question for Carl? Send it to Agronomy@PetersonFarmsSeed.com.
