b'Mind Your Seed Moisture MARC ZIENKIEWICZto Prevent Dustoff EDITOR, CREATE BY ISSUES INKmzienkiewicz@issuesink.com @mzienkieA SEED CAN only hold so much moisture. For a seed treatment to beissuesink.comeffective, it must penetrate the seed coat. If the seed is too moist, it cant do that very well. Knowing the moisture content of your seed can be crucial to successful seed treatment application.Storing your seed in dry and cool/cold conditions will provideIs Your Content Sexy?the best results. If you treat in the fall but do not use that seed until the following spring, you could be looking at as many as eight months from treatment to usage. Depending on the storageI MUST CONFESS, I have yet to try a Beyond Meat conditions (temperature fluctuations, changes in humidity andburger.moisture levels), there could be loss of either fungicide or insec- I have, however, tried other plant-based ticide due to dustoff. However, if proper storage conditions areprotein products. I like them. I love to eat meat, used, the efficacy of the seed treatment will not be affected. and dont have any plans to reduce my meat Whether you treat in the fall or spring, the key is to ensure notintake, but I see the value in plant-based options only appropriate temperature, but appropriate seed moisture con- for people who dont eat meat, want to cut back tent. Treating a moist seed can be like trying to clean up a spillon it, or just want something to supplement a with an already-wet sponge. It can be done, but its definitely nothealthy diet.ideal. Starting with a dry sponge obviously works best! I had the pleasure recently of moderating a What happens if we apply seed treatment to seed with highwebinar on the topic, and it was an eye-opening moisture levels? Seed that has higher moisture content will experi- experience to learn more about plant-based ence greater dustoffbecause the internal moisture content isproteins. But what really stood out for me was higher, the seed treatment will not readily absorb as well into thethe interest others had in the subject matter and seed coat and can therefore dust off a lot more easily. This canhow people involved in the seed industry saw cause issues in seed metering equipment in the field. The solu- the opportunity presented by the plant-based tion? Dry your seed to its optimum point prior to applying seedprotein market.treatment. This will make things easier come spring. It reminded me that good content is content If higher moisture seed is going to be used, a good insurancethat people can connect with and relate to, but policy is the use of a micro-dispersion seed treatment product.great content also piques their interest. Everyone This can help mitigate moisture-related issues. A micro-dispersionhas heard about the Beyond Meat burger. Its formulation evenly coats the seed for maximum seed protection.what we refer to in the content marketing world Theres a lot more contact points between the product and seedas a sexy topic.coatyou get better distribution, it stays where it hits and has aWhat makes a topic sexy? quicker drydown time. Wet seed takes longer to dry. 1. The subject appeals to not only industry We cant control Mother Nature,players but to the general publicconsum-but we can mitigate risks associ- ers. If consumers benefit and find it interesting, ated with moist seed by dryingthats your gauge to determine how well it will seed properly and using theresonate. Even if youre not trying to appeal to appropriate formulation. consumers directly, everyone involved in your industry is a consumer as well. When you appeal to consumers, you appeal to everyone around NICHOLAS PETRUIC youand yourself.2. It isnt clickbait. There can a fine line SEEDGROWTH SPECIALIST, BAYERbetween content that is sexy and content that CROP SCIENCE can be seen as frivolous. Its always important to nicholas.petruic@bayer.com ensure your content is of quality and doesnt take cropscience.bayer.ca anything out of context or blow it out of propor-tion. Avoid making clickbait out of it.Is there a sexy topic youve been wanting to tell your audience about? Follow the above two tips and youll attract eyeballs.JANUARY 2020 GERMINATION.CA 25'