Importance and benefits of seed treatment in agriculture

A good crop starts with the seed. To achieve the expected result: more profit and productivity, seed treatment is a powerful tool to protect them from numerous agents that cause diseases and pests that threaten the initial phase of cultivation. When sowing takes place, a race for productivity begins, and that is when the seed suffers a series of threats.

As a consequence, each attack in the initial phase of cultivation reduces the seedling's development potential and its future productivity. The use of both chemical and biological products provides seed protection during this period, which benefits the development of plants during germination at the initial stage of the crop.

For greater accessibility and convenience, producers can work with solution offers in two segments: Industrial Seed Treatment (TSI) and Professional Seed Treatment on properties (On Farm).

Among the types available, industrial seed treatment is experiencing widespread growth in Brazil. This modality adds advantages related to greater treatment precision, maintenance of seed quality and reduced risk of exposure. The knowledge in On Farm or Professional Seed Treatment on properties is that acquired directly on the farms, and not in the industry as in the case of TSI.

However, for the farmer to achieve excellence in the production process, it is necessary to pay attention to other extremely important factors during this period, including plantability, correct density and planting speed. Below I discuss more about them and their impact on cultivation.

Planting quality considers everything from weather and soil conditions to the details of adjusting the seeder. The producer needs detailed planning to define the ideal quantity of seeds that will be planted per linear meter in order to determine the best plant density and optimize the productive potential of the seed.

Density is also important: the more uniform the distribution of seeds during the planting phase, the better the initial plant start-up and plantation establishment. When the opposite situation occurs, there may be non-uniformity in the sowing process, generating two serious problems: the occurrence of failures or ‘doubles’. The gaps represent places where the seed was not planted. In addition to being unproductive areas for farming, these spaces favor the development of weeds. ‘Doubles’ occur when two or more seeds are deposited in the sowing furrow, causing the germination of more than one plant in a space limited to its development, which also results in harvesting.

To optimize the production system and obtain greater profitability, in many regions in Brazil the first soybean harvest (summer) and second-crop corn (winter) are harvested. In this situation, producers look for increasingly early varieties and planting windows have a tight deadline. High-speed operations impair seed distribution, as the seeder may have greater difficulty cutting the straw present in the soil and opening the planting furrow. Last but not least, the adjustment of planters also has an impact. Seeders are robust and complex machines and, therefore, it is worth having technical assistance to adjust and maintain the components to improve crop productivity.

Tips for seed treatment are a fundamental part of the groundwork for planting. The farmer's work has become more challenging with each harvest. Therefore, it is important that he can count on the necessary support and solutions and technologies that will help him in his mission to produce more, in a smaller area, in a sustainable and protected way. Brazil has been a reference and showcase for innovation in agriculture for the world. This perception comes precisely from the care taken in agricultural production – from the beginning to the end of planting – aiming to guarantee quality food.   

 

Ricardo Otranto, seed treatment leader at Bayer's agricultural division in Brazil