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 76STRATEGY A featured segment designed to share business- critical information to seed-selling professionals. Visit SeedWorld.com to download this department and other tools. Improving Water Use Efficiency Seed treatment experts examine the relationship between seed-applied technologies and plants’ ability to access and use water already in the soil profile. We discovered that in the end, it all comes back to root health. Julie Deering KNOWN TO BE the build- ing block of all living things, water is essential to a seed’s ability to germinate and all aspects of crop production. Without it, you just have seed in the ground, says Justin Clark, BASF technical market manager. Water helps you start the season off strong and is key to laying a good, strong founda- tion for the rest of the growing season, he says. In some areas, water avail- ability is not a concern. In fact, researchers within the seed industry are exploring ways to help plants cope with excess water from spring showers early in the growing season, as is often the case in the eastern and northern parts of the Midwest. Yet in other areas, such as the Plains and in the West, water availability is much less and a topic that can stir up consternation among communities when it comes to access and use. For example, total water use for corn production in Missouri ranges from 20 inches to 35 inches depending on relative maturity of the hybrid, planting date, weather and location, according to information from the University of Missouri. But as you move west, rainfall becomes less, and growers tend to rely on irrigation water for optimal production. For corn and soybean production, water can be a game changer, adds Bruce Battles, Syngenta Seedcare technology manager. “Rainfall and water availability early in the season sets you up for [success or failure] later in the season,” he explains, noting that corn with plenty of available water will be taller and have larger leaves and stronger stems. If water is limited, he says you get a shorter plant, with less leaf area — all related to the early vegetative stages. Water Pressure A commonly cited statistic is that agriculture uses 70 percent of the world’s fresh water, and Extension special- ists agree that a high-yielding corn crop requires about 22 inches of water. However, farmers and those in agriculture face increasing pressure from gov- ernments, local communities and non-governmental organ- izations to use less water, and in some cases much less. During the past 10 years, droughts and extreme climatic events around the world have pushed companies to put added emphasis on improving plants’ ability to more effi- ciently use water. Leaders at Syngenta rec- ognized the pressure being put on farmers to not only use less water, but also fewer total inputs. As part of its Good Growth Plan, they have set a goal of increasing the average productivity of the world’s major crops by 20 percent by 2020 without using more land, water or inputs. They are already starting to see the fruits of their labor. Partnering with equipment manufacturer Lindsay, the company has developed an integrated solution combining its drought-resistant seeds with tailored crop protection Big, fibrous root systems allow for more efficient use of water already available in the soil profile. 26 / SEEDWORLD.COM FEBRUARY 2017