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24 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2016 Neonicotinoids prove their value compared to other systems. Melissa Shipman PROTECTINGPOLLINATORS AWORLDWITHOUTSEEDTREATMENTS IN A WORLD without neonicotinoid seed treat- ments agriculture would look quite different. Entire production strategies for corn cotton soy- beans and sorghum are built around early planting made possible by the use of seed treatments. Loss of these seed treatments would require signif- icant changes in those production strategies including substituting products and treatment times that would cost more says Ray McAllister senior director of regulatory policy for CropLife America. Consequently planting later would reduce season-long yield. Values and Yield For one thing costs would go up significantly says Palle Pedersen Syngenta Seedcare head of prod- uct marketing. He cites a recent study The Value of Neonicotinoids in North American Agriculture Estimated Impact of Neonicotinoid Insecticides on Pest Management Practices and Costs for U.S. Corn Soybean Wheat Cotton and Sorghum Farmers that found removing and replacing neonicotinoids as part of the nations overall pest management toolkit would cost U.S. farmers around 850 million per year. Soybeans in particular are an important crop to consider. AgInfomatics an agriculture research firm studied the effects of neonicotinoids in soybeans using a tri- angulated data system of more than 400 field studies 500 farmer survey responses and data from insecti- cide treatment plans. Their goal was to place a monetary value on the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments says Pete Nowak Emeritus professor at the University of Wisconsin Madison and AgInfomatics principal. Overall their research determined that farmers who use neonicotinoids seed treatments received an 11.23 per acre advantage for the 2013-2014 growing seasons. Commodity prices have shifted since then but the dif- ference is clear. Some seed treatments also include a growth agent that encourages better yields but even treatments without this additive have a positive effect on yield. When you use a neonicotinoid treated seed there is also a yield enhancement and the leading idea behind ThisseriesissponsoredbyOperationPollinator aSyngentaglobalinitiative. this is that the treatment is so effec- tive at keeping pests away the young plant has much more vigor and develops into a healthier better- producing plant Nowak says. The specific yield increase varies by region but overall its an average of 3 percent across the entire United States according to Nowak. That yield increase is on top of the value advantage in input costs he adds. Time is money too so they say and with seed treatments conveni- ence and immediate efficacy are also key benefits. The seed treatment chemical moves into the plant immediately as the seedling starts to grow and protection begins from day one protecting the seed itself from maggots or wire worms before germination. Ray Knake of Ray Knake Consulting started working with seed treatment science in 1975 and has seen the complete transition from the old system to the new one. You have to be out scouting for damage constantly and then you begin treatment after the first signs. By then its too late and yields may already be reduced Knake says. Add in weather delays and a crop could be severely impacted. Its hard to get those spray applications done in a timely manner. You cant spray when its raining or windy and thats tricky in the spring he says. Pete Nowak Emeritus professor at the University of Wisconsin Madison and AgInformatics pincipal says seed treatments help produce a healthier plant.