12 / SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2017 WITH A SLOW economy and lower prices for corn and soybeans, seed treatments have been a tough sell the past few years. However, that could change, with the convergence of a number of factors. A better economy, growing disease and pest pressures, and new technologies may lead growers to buy seed treatments for improved crop protection. From 2012’s historically high prices when corn reached more than $8 per bushel and soybeans approached $18 per bushel, prices have dropped and somewhat leveled out to about $3 and $4 for corn and $8 and $10 for soybeans. These low prices have led growers to look for cost-cutting measures. “They’re trying to save that little bit of money to add to the bottom line or so that they have the opportunity to do a full fertilization program,” says Kurt Seevers, technical development manager for seed treatments and inoculants at Verdesian Life Sciences. He believes if corn and soybean prices rise, growers will consider adding treatments to their seeds, and it’s possible that circumstances could speed that up. “If they have specific problems they need to address, and they can do it with a seed treatment, we may see them come back sooner,” Seevers says. Mark Reisinger, seed treatment marketing manager at DuPont Pioneer, believes Mother Nature could be that catalyst. Much of the Midwest experienced a mild winter, and spring has been especially wet and cold. “These are important factors for growers who may be considering seed treatments to protect against pathogens,” says Reisinger, who expects fungal pres- sures to be considerable this year. DuPont Pioneer is also rolling out a new treatment, Lumisena, that will protect against Phytophthora. Reisinger says even with growers pinching pennies, they’re likely to be interested in products such as this that address significant pressures. The mild winter may also increase insect pressure, boosting the demand for insecticides in seed treatment formulas. “If you haven’t used insecticide in seed treat- ment, this is the year to use it,” Reisinger adds. Even if this year’s weather entices some growers to increase seed treatment use, there are still regulatory BRIAN WALLHEIMER is a writer based in Illinois. He has bach- elor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and has worked as a reporter in Illinois, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Indiana. He was most recently digital editor of the Rockford Register Star. He has also worked as a research news writer for the College of Agriculture at Purdue University. issues that have been difficult for the industry to grap- ple with in recent years, and that’s not likely to change. Martin Gruss, global head of Bayer SeedGrowth, points to neonicotinoid restrictions in the European Union in 2013 that affected oilseed rape. He says a study commissioned by Bayer and Syngenta found that the rules cost the oilseed rape industry hundreds of millions of euros per year and cost farmers who faced increased input costs. As well, there were losses caused by yield and quality reduction. Regulatory Uncertainty Ioana Tudor, Syngenta’s global head of Seedcare, says there is also uncertainty surrounding tightened rules stemming from Europe. She says some of the proposed rules would require so many costly studies that they could simply force many companies out of the market. “They are so unrealistic that probably most of the insecticide seed treatments would no longer be avail- able to use in Europe if that regulation becomes law,” Tudor says. Those restrictions are also eyed by some, including non-governmental organizations, that want tighter con- trols in other places, including the United States. Tudor adds that regulation is also taking older prod- ucts, deemed unsafe or damaging to the environment, off the market. As the cost of bringing new products to market rises, it will be increasingly important to protect those investments. She says businesses today face a significant chal- lenge in educating consumers on the importance of mixing modes of action to reduce the buildup of resist- ance. Using seed treatments in combination with other inputs is a strategy companies can push to tackle resistance issues, which are becoming more prevalent, especially in places such as Brazil, where pest pressure is high and spodoptera’s resistance to new traits has been documented after just a few years on the market. “That puts more and more pressure on the new chemistry,” Tudor says. “It’s really important to look at alternate modes of action — not to look within the same category but across categories. Seed treat- Low commodity prices and increasing regulatory hurdles have curtailed seed treatment use the past few years; however, experts say that the weather and growing insect and disease pressures might change that trend. Environment Constrains Seed Treatment Use