b'PARTNER CONTENTSEEDCARE EXTRAORDINAIRESyngenta Seedcare continues its long history of excellence with new seed treatment innovations and outstanding service.Darcy MaulsbyWHEN YOURE RUNNINGa seed treating business and needApron fungicide seed treatment. This seed treatment to apply a specific amount of seed treatment per seed, thefungicide was a game-changer, says Ravi Ramachandran, last thing you need is a technical glitch, like a pluggedhead of The Syngenta Seedcare Institute (SCI) for North filter that disrupts the operation. America in Stanton, Minnesota. It provided excellent Seed treatments have to work in the field, but youcontrol of downy mildews andwith later Apron XL also need them to work during the seed treatment pro- formulations of the productdevastating diseases, like cess, says Gary Geske, an independent seed treater fromPythium, to help give growers the confidence to maxi-Enderlin, North Dakota. If things dont flow properly, itsmize their crops yield potential.such a hassle to shut down the seed treatment line. As seed treatments evolved, Syngenta focused on Accuracy and consistency are also vital to Geske, whethercrop safety and stewardship every step of the way. While hes treating seeds in the cooler morning or warmer after- growers used to apply 50 to 200+ grams of active ingre-noon hours. You cant afford to have treatment accuracydient (ai) per acre to control pests and diseases, new way out of whack. If you underapply and the seed treatmentSyngenta seed treatments only required 1 to 15 grams. doesnt work, youve lost a customer for life. These modern seed treatments were also much more Thats why Geske appreciates Syngenta Seedcare. Witheffective than older chemistries, since molecules could be 40 years of market leadership in treating seed, Syngentadesigned to target specific disease and pest organisms, provides the proven seed treatment solutions Geskes cus- Ramachandran says.tomers need to grow healthy, robust crops. One milestone for Syngenta was its 1993 launch of Not all seed treatments are created equal, saysMaxim seed treatment fungicidethe first seed treat-Geske, who has used Syngenta Seedcare products for 15ment to be labeled reduced risk by the Environmental years. Syngenta products just work. The quality of itsProtection Agency (EPA). seed treatments is top-notch, and Syngenta Seedcare spe- Another big step change came in 1997 with the intro-cialists are very knowledgeable. duction of Cruiser, the first seed treatment insecticide that Syngenta launched globally. More Cruiser seed treatment A Legacy of New Product Developmentoptions emerged during the 20 years since its initial Syngenta has been on the forefront of seed treatmentlaunch, including CruiserMaxx Vibrance Beans, insec-research and innovation for four decades, starting in 1979ticide/fungicide seed treatment, a combination of sepa-with Concep, the first sorghum seed safener. Since then, therately registered products, which optimizes root health, use of Syngenta seed treatments has grown exponentially. stress tolerance and plant vigor in soybeans for better Even in times of lower commodity prices, seed treat- emergence and increased crop productivity.ments still have a high return on investment, especiallySyngenta also developed Avicta, the first seed treat-with early planting, says Ross Weikel, head of Syngentament nematicide, introduced in 2006; Clariva pn, the first Seedcare.biological seed treatment nematicide, introduced in 2013; From diseases and insect pests to unpredictableand Vibrance, the first fungicide from Syngenta specifi-weather, growers dont know what challenges theyrecally developed for use as a seed treatment.going to face during the growing season. Were providingThe latest Seedcare offering from SyngentaSaltro solutions that can help, no matter the situation. seed treatment fungicide, which recently received U.S. This became clear in 1982 with the introduction ofEPA registrationmarks yet another breakthrough in the 34GERMINATION.CA JANUARY 2020'