CropLife Foundation Report Examines Immense Value of Seed Treatment for Agriculture

CropLife Foundation has released an in-depth report that details the uses and benefits of seed treatments for growers, consumers and the environment.

The report, "The Role of Seed Treatment in Modern U.S. Crop Production," highlights the role of modern seed treatments in producing healthier and more uniform crops, increasing crop values and allowing growers to plant earlier in the season, all while reducing potential environmental exposure through an increasingly precise application method.

Seed treatment refers to the direct application of crop protection products to the surface of a seed prior to planting. This suppresses, controls and repels pathogens, insects and other pests that threaten to limit seed viability and health from the time that the seed enters the soil through its development.

Some highlights of the report include:

Grower benefits:

• Yields of spring wheat and spring barley increased by 25 percent following the application of seed treatment, according to trials conducted at Montana State University

• Neonicotinoid seed treatments more than doubled stands of sorghum in Louisiana research trials.

Environmental benefits:

• Potential soil surface exposure is reduced by up to 90 percent compared to other application methods such as in-furrow applications or broadcast sprays

• Seed treatment technology has improved from application of ounces per hundred weight of seed (cwt) to milligrams per individual seed.

Economic benefits:

• Through increased protection and greater crop yields, seed treatment helped contribute to nearly $80 billion worth of value to American corn growers in 2011

• Seed varieties developed through modern breeding techniques, combined with effective seed treatments, provide nearly 100 percent crop stand – almost every seed produces a mature plant.