SUPPORTED BY ENDORSED BY 40 / SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2017 While this technology has primarily been used in coun- tries such as Australia, Russia, China and Poland for irriga- tion purposes, it’s fairly new in North America. Complex Relationships As we continue, it’s impor- tant to note the relationship between soil salinity and drought. Soil salinization results in dehydration of the plant, so strategies and tools designed to help plants cope with can also help in these conditions. Roger Kjelgren, a fac- ulty affiliate at Utah State University in agricultural sciences, explains that both salinity and drought stresses induce osmotic stress. As a result, he says cross-tolerance responses and mechanisms may occur in plants. That’s what companies are seeing too, as they bring products to market to help deal with drought stress, they also help plants cope with the stress of soil salinization. For instance, Syngenta’s Helix XTra and Cruiser seed treatments both contain the active ingredient thiameth- oxam, which give the “vigor effect” — something Syngenta has been able to patent. Thiamethoxam allows plants to cope better under stressful growing conditions, including high soil salinity. Then there’s Agrisure “Drought has plagued agriculture and civilization throughout history, so much so that drought tolerant crops are considered the holy grail.” — Rusty Rodriquez Artesian, a traited corn hybrid with multiple genes, that’s designed to give farm- ers season-long drought protection. The company reports Agrisure Artesian maximizes yield when it rains and increases yield up to 15 percent when it doesn’t. “Drought has plagued agriculture and civilization throughout history, so much so that drought tolerant crops are considered the Holy Grail,” says Rusty Rodriguez, CEO of Adaptive Symbiotic Technologies. In fact, Rodriquez says billions of dollars have been spent on breeding drought- and stress-tolerant crops. But Rodriquez says those investments haven’t paid the dividends needed, and that’s where novel seed treatments can advance farm yields and food security. While some may debate the efficacy of breeding stress tolerant plants, there’s no question that novel seed treatments can help minimize their impact. Seed treatments comple- ment the work of breeders, giving the plant that extra boost in the early stages. BASF brought to market the F500 molecule, which started as a foliar treatment and is now used as a seed treatment. “We found that over time, the F500 molecule reduces plant respiration, so it can more efficiently use carbon dioxide,” Hofer says. “This decreases ethylene production and increases plant health, which has really helped give crops better tol- erance to frost and drought.” And Bayer brought to market Poncho/VOTiVO, which helps plants generate more roots and can better capture available nutrients, says Jennifer Riggs, Bayer SeedGrowth product devel- opment manager. In addition, she says Poncho/VOTiVO has the ability to change the root anatomical traits, reduc- ing the plant’s carbon needs when various abiotic stress- ors are present. Rodriquez and his team found that certain fungi in the soil allow plants to flour- ish under harsh conditions. Treating seeds allows these microscopic fungi to colonize the root systems, conferring those adaptive abilities on food crops. Field test results showed corn yields with the seed treatment increased 25 to 85 percent under drought condi- tions using 25 to 50 percent less water. 2015 marked the fourth year of field trials covering 14 states. “We’re concluding these products will perform irrespective of soil type and climate zone,” Rodriquez says. SW