Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 8442 / SEEDWORLD.COM JANUARY 2017 WHEN YOU ARE making the decision to invest in new seed treatment equipment, there are some factors to consider that will save you grief. 1. Long-term planning. If you have an existing line where you need to exchange an old treater, you might need some cus- tomizations, but also if you are investing in a new line, there are options on the market to make the equipment fit your exact needs. Make sure your supplier listens to your needs and is not just following up on another lead. Seed treatment use is also increasing, and that’s why you should also consider some extra capacity for future needs and make sure that the equipment can grow with your business by adding a number of dosage systems in the future. If you take pride in being independent, it’s a good idea to check that the treater can handle a wide range of dosage rates. 2. Regulations. Make sure the equip- ment follows regulations and is certified. Also. regulations for health and safety rules in the workplace are wise to consider. Is it operator-friendly? What’s the decibel level? Do I need another language for my operator control to eliminate human errors? Today you can have seed treat- ment equipment with closed systems that are easy to clean and don´t leave much wastewater to handle. And of course, dust control to benefit both the operator and the environment. 3. Application quality. It’s a good thing if the seed treater is tested in an independent laboratory for application quality, germina- tion damage, and with a wide variety of SEED TREATMENT EQUIPMENT What to Consider Before Investing in Treatment Equipment KETTY NILSSON NOROGARD PRESIDENT @NoroGardAB • Ketty@NoroGard.com • NoroGard.com seed. Add to that a continuous flow con- trol and a possibility to check your actual dosage rate, then you have taken a step to better application quality control. 4. Life cycle cost. Most people check the price before buying anything, and it’s common to require a quote before invest- ing in new seed treatment equipment. But not that many people actually look at the whole lifecycle cost of the equipment. How many years can you expect your invest- ment to last? What’s the cost of the spare parts? How much is the electrical con- sumption? What will the cost for mainte- nance and service be? RESISTANCE MANAGEMENT is a hot topic, and it’s something that’s evolved a lot over the years. Twenty years ago we used single active ingredient products (or maybe we combined two) that were applied to the seed. The industry began with fungicide treatments, then added insecticides. Today we have also added nematicides, and now use up to seven or eight (or more) active ingredients in one seed treatment product — something known as multiple modes of action. Seed treatment products become more complex as the challenges farmers face become more complex. People have been attempting to control crop pests since the beginning of agricul- ture. Building on the methods that farm- ers have integrated into pest management practices on their farms, scientists continue to develop new ways to control diseases, insects, nematodes and weeds in crops. New products add additional modes of action to manage resistance buildup. An example is a new active ingredient used in corn seed treatments — thiabendazole shows powerful activity against a broad spectrum of early-season diseases. It’s combined with three proven fungicides — metalaxyl-M, fludioxonil and azoxystrobin — to bring growers effective early-season disease protection in corn. Seed treatment is such a convenient technology that farmers now demand these multiple modes of action to help manage resistance buildup, and the indus- try must respond. As a result, some mistakenly believe that multiple modes of action mean you’re always covered for everything. There is no magic bullet. You still must choose the right product with the right modes of action for your specific needs. Space on the seed is limited. What SEED TREATMENT STEWARDSHIP Resistance Management: Tracing its Evolution FRANZ BRANDL SYNGENTA CROP PROTECTION’S GLOBAL PRODUCT MANAGER, SEED APPLIED FUNGICIDES franz.brandl@syngenta.com • syngenta-us.com we promote is the product, but what the customer supplies is the recipe, and the recipe consists of product, plus seed coat- ing polymers, plus colorants. The seed coating polymer plays an important role in holding all the active ingredients on the seed, and these polymers are evolving in order to allow us to hold more product on something as tiny as a seed. Adding biostimulants and micronutri- ents that mitigate environmental stresses are the next frontier to help manage resis- tance buildup using seed-applied solu- tions. It will be fascinating to see these prod- ucts evolve over time, and the challenges that come with that evolution will need to be dealt with. Using knowledge gained in the past, the industry is poised to tackle them head-on.