What Seed Treatment To Use In 2019

A new year begins, and it’s time to start considering your 2019 plan.
Once you’ve decided what seed will be planted, it’s time to consider what seed dressing you will require.
We’ve done a quick rundown over our main sellers, so you don’t have to.

Barley:

The cheap option is Baytan T which covers smuts and bunts. However, Baytan hasn’t proven to be as effective on loose smut, particularly in high-risk situations. It also and has suppression on seedling leaf scald and powdery mildew.
On the premium side, Systiva is a product that covers smut, bunt, barley scald, leaf rust, net blotch, powdery mildew and has suppression on Rhizoctonia at a high rate. For barley varieties such as Planet or Compass with poor net blotch resistance, Systiva is the go-to product with exceptional control of both spot and net form net blotch.

Wheat and Barley:

For both wheat and barley Vibrance covers smut, bunt, and net blotch. Vibrance and Evergol Energy are the only product for cereals that controls Pythium, which is a precursor for Rhizoctonia. The new EverGol Energy replaces the old EverGol Prime and Inteco, and now has added suppression on Rhizoctonia and Pythium. It also controls smut and bunt, making it ideal for Spartacus or LaTrobe type varieties susceptible to loose-smut.
A cheaper option for wheat is Raxil T, or Baytan T. These will cover your smuts and bunts. However, research has shown both products can cause issues with shortening of coleoptile length and increases pre-emergent damage on light soil.
A fungicide and insecticide option available is Pontiac, see below.

Wheat and Barley Insecticides:

We recommend Gaucho or Cruiser 350FS to control aphids. Getting on top of these also means controlling barley yellow dwarf virus and cereal yellow dwarf virus. Cruiser 350FS is a next-generation neonicotinoid which covers the same insect spectrum as Gaucho but is much more user-friendly with significantly less dusting after application.
Another option is Pontiac which is both an insecticide and fungicide which covers aphids as well as controlling bunts and smuts and suppression on Rhizoctonia.

Legumes:

Our two main legume products are Apron XL or P-Pickle-T. Apron XL will cover damping off and downy mildew in peas, and Phytophthora root rot in chickpeas. P-Pickle-T will control seed borne infection of ascochyta in chickpeas and lentils, botrytis in chickpeas, and black spot in peas. It also will control seedling root rot in peas, beans, lentils, and chickpeas.

Canola:

The dressing that you are most likely to receive on your canola this season will probably be Jockey Stayer and Poncho Plus. Jockey Stayer will cover blackleg, and Poncho Plus is an insecticide that will give protection from wireworm, cutworm, aphids, Lucerne flea, RLEM and blue oat mite for 3-4 weeks. Two other options that may come with your order may be Maxim XL or Cruiser Opti. The Maxim XL is a fungicide predominantly used for seedling blackleg suppression. Cruiser Opti is an insecticide which controls green peach aphid and grey cabbage aphids, and will also give suppression of RLEM and lucerne flea.

If you are still a bit confused about what product will best suit you this year give one of our agronomists a call and we’ll help.