When you’re running a seed treating business and need to apply a specific amount of seed treatment per seed, the last thing you need is a technical glitch, like a plugged filter that disrupts the operation.
“Seed treatments have to work in the field, but you also need them to work during the seed treatment process,” says Gary Geske, an independent seed treater from Enderlin, North Dakota. “If things don’t flow properly, it’s such a hassle to shut down the seed treatment line.”
Accuracy and consistency are also vital to Geske, whether he’s treating seeds in the cooler morning or warmer afternoon hours. “You can’t afford to have treatment accuracy way out of whack. If you underapply and the seed treatment doesn’t work, you’ve lost a customer for life.”
That’s why Geske appreciates Syngenta Seedcare. With 40 years of market leadership in treating seed, Syngenta provides the proven seed treatment solutions Geske’s customers need to grow healthy, robust crops.
“Not all seed treatments are created equal,” says Geske, who has used Syngenta Seedcare products for 15 years. “Syngenta products just work. The quality of its seed treatments is top-notch, and Syngenta Seedcare specialists are very knowledgeable.”
A Legacy of New Product Development
Syngenta has been on the forefront of seed treatment research and innovation for four decades, starting in 1979 with Concep, the first sorghum seed safener. Since then, the use of Syngenta seed treatments has grown exponentially.
“Even in times of lower commodity prices, seed treatments still have a high return on investment, especially with early planting,” says Ross Weikel, head of Syngenta Seedcare.
“From diseases and insect pests to unpredictable weather, growers don’t know what challenges they’re going to face during the growing season.
We’re providing solutions that can help, no matter the situation.”
This became clear in 1982 with the introduction of Apron fungicide seed treatment. “This seed treatment fungicide was a game changer,” says Ravi Ramachandran, head of The Syngenta Seedcare Institute (SCI) for North America in Stanton, Minnesota. “It provided excellent control of downy mildews and — with later Apron XL formulations of the product — devastating diseases, like Pythium, to help give growers the confidence to maximize their crops’ yield potential.”
As seed treatments evolved, Syngenta focused on crop safety and stewardship every step of the way. While growers used to apply 50 to 200+ grams of active ingredient (ai) per acre to control pests and diseases, new Syngenta seed treatments only required 1 to 15 grams. “These modern seed treatments were also much more effective than older chemistries, since molecules could be designed to target specific disease and pest organisms,” Ramachandran says.
One milestone for Syngenta was its 1993 launch of Maxim seed treatment fungicide — the first seed treatment to be labeled “reduced risk” by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Another big step change came in 1997 with the introduction of Cruiser, the first seed treatment insecticide that Syngenta launched globally. More Cruiser seed treatment options emerged during the 20 years since its initial launch, including CruiserMaxx Vibrance Beans, insecticide/fungicide seed treatment, a combination of separately registered products, which optimizes root health, stress tolerance and plant vigor in soybeans for better emergence and increased crop productivity.
Syngenta also developed Avicta, the first seed treatment nematicide, introduced in 2006; Clariva pn, the first biological seed treatment nematicide, introduced in 2013; and Vibrance, the first fungicide from Syngenta specifically developed for use as a seed treatment.
The latest Seedcare offering from Syngenta — Saltro seed treatment fungicide, which recently received EPA registration — marks yet another breakthrough in the company’s long history of seed treatment innovation.
“Saltro is going to be a huge product in soybeans,” says Weikel. “It promises to preserve yield potential by protecting soybeans from sudden death syndrome (SDS) without displaying any of the damaging side effects of phytotoxicity.”
In addition to SDS, Saltro will offer protection against nematodes, including soybean cyst nematode.
“It will be easy to treat seeds with Saltro, because we specifically designed the formulation to fit this market, plus we have tested it extensively at The Seedcare Institute,” Ramachandran says.
While row crop seed treatments are important, Syngenta Seedcare also supports other crops with technologies, including Dynasty PD, the first seed-delivered fungicide for peanuts, and Plenaris, a fungicide seed treatment for sunflowers. There’s also the FarMore Technology Platform, an on-seed application of separately registered seed protection products and proprietary application technologies designed to help vegetable growers maximize production.
With all of these products from Syngenta Seedcare, the goal is to help growers protect their seed investment, so they can get their crops off to the healthiest start possible.
“Growers make large investments in seed genetics, plus they’re planting much earlier to maximize yield potential,” says Shawn Potter, head of Seedcare product marketing for Syngenta. “The first three to four weeks are the most critical for seedlings. Seed treatments help them get off to a good start, even in cold, wet conditions.”
Partnerships Enhance Application Technology
While Syngenta has focused on developing new seed treatment technologies for decades, the team at The Seedcare Institute has also helped modify and fine-tune seed treating equipment along the way.
As demand for treated seed grew by the early 2000s, Syngenta helped develop continuous-flow treaters. “We put one of these drum treaters on a trailer and took it across the country to teach people how to use it,” Ramachandran says.
Today, Syngenta offers basic and advanced training for seed treatment applicators at The Seedcare Institute facility in Stanton. Retailers practice how to treat seed properly for the best coverage, use accurate dosing and troubleshoot potential problems. They also learn the importance of product stewardship.
Can’t make it to Stanton?
“Syngenta has a team of Seedcare specialists across the country who can visit your site,” says Joe Kuznia, Syngenta Seedcare platform lead at The Seedcare Institute.
Advancing seed treatment technology involves making sure a seed treatment consists of the right mix of ingredients, or recipe, for each crop and geography.
“You need the right formulation so the seed treatment sticks and stays on the seed,” Ramachandran says.
Joe Kuznia: Delivering Seedcare Solutions
How can lessons from a potato field lead to improved seed treatments? That’s the magic of The Syngenta Seedcare Institute (SCI) for North America and its skilled team members in Stanton, Minn.
“I put on my farmer’s hat to view things through the growers’ eyes,” says Joe Kuznia, a Syngenta Seedcare platform lead who has worked at Syngenta for 24 years. “Solving challenges early on can boost the crop’s yield potential, which boosts the growers’ income potential.”
When Kuznia worked in the Red River Valley, he observed that spraying the edge of a potato field could slow down the migration of Colorado potato beetles. This practice sometimes eliminated the need to spray entire fields multiple times. “Farmers were thrilled, because this saved them a big chunk of change,” says Kuznia, who also modified sprayers for greater accuracy in sugarbeet fields.
Kuznia brings this same solutions-oriented mindset to Syngenta Seedcare, from the development of treatment recipes to accurate seed coat application. He provides hands-on training for retailers who come to Stanton for basic and advanced seed treatment classes.
“Joe speaks their language,” says Ravi Ramachandran, Ph.D., head of the SCI for North America. “He embodies what the institute represents: a passion for problem-solving and a relentless commitment to develop the best seed treatments and service in the industry.”
Finding new ways to optimize seed treatments in real-world settings motivates Kuznia and his colleagues at the SCI. “I want to empower retailers and growers to succeed with Syngenta Seedcare,” he says.
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