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 7636 / SEEDWORLD.COM SEPTEMBER 2016 SEED TREATMENT EQUIPMENT Pushing the Envelope Requires a Commitment to Proper Application As the world demands more food and more constraints are placed on the resources needed to grow that food, the more important seed technology becomes. From a farmer perspective as the value of the seed he or she is buying increases, so does the need to protect that investment. These are just a few of the reasons we’ve seen tremendous growth in the adoption of seed treatments during the past decade. Given the need, it stands to reason that the market will push the envelope on what we can adhere to the exterior of the seed. There are a number of steps seed must go through before it making it’s way to farmers for planting — cleaning and conditioning, laboratory for testing, storage, treating and processing. It’s important to note that the quality and efficacy of seed-applied technologies hinge on starting with clean seed. If you begin the process with seed that’s not clean, that treatment won’t stick. Only after you have clean seed can we look at the role dosage rates or loading of NOROGARD PRESIDENT @NoroGardAB Ketty@NoroGard.com NoroGard.com KETTY NILSSON active ingredients play. Today, it’s very easy to achieve accurate dosing rates. We can easily get down to 50 milliliters per 100 kilograms (1.69 ounces per 220 pounds) of seed. For example, we have 100 kg. (220 lbs.) of barley seed with a surface area of 150 square meters (1,600 square feet). Here, the seed treatment equipment is capable of distributing 50 ml. of liquid at 150 square meters, or 1.69 ounces over 1,600 square feet. Let that thought sink in for a moment … add to that the demand is often a capacity above 45 tons of treated seed per hour (in closed systems). It’s a delicate balance. You don’t want to over-apply product at the risk of damaging the seed, wasting the product and adding extra expense to your operation. On the flip side, if you don’t apply enough then you might not get the benefits. To ensure you are consistently applying the right rate, it’s important to evaluate the uniformity of the end product. As a general rule, 80 percent of the individual seeds should have a dosage rate of plus or minus 20 percent of the average value. So as we look to the future of seed treatments and the role they play, it’s increasingly important to make sure we have quality application with the precise amount of active ingredient being applied to the seed. If you don’t have it down to a science now, I must ask: “What will you do when application rates double?” SOFTWARE & DATA MANAGEMENT The Future Is Now Imagine if you could take thousands of data scores or observations in the field or labora- tory and with just two clicks transfer it all, instantly and accurately, to a server or on the cloud. That would save time and speed up critical decision-making. That’s possible. With more mobility in the workplace and more devices, plant breeders are beginning to reap the benefits of the latest hardware and software technology. Enter tablets. Tablets allow for more efficient and enhanced note taking with the ability to snap a photo and link it to your data. The old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” rings true, especially when evaluat- ing fruit crops where color, size and shape are critical. Numbers are still the founda- tion, but photos strengthen your records. If you’ve ever spent a day working your way through hundreds of plots, they all begin to blur. Where were the best genotypes? Today, there are plant breeding software programs that are tablet friendly AGRONOMIX PRESIDENT, CEO AND FOUNDER Mulitze@Agronomix.com Agronomix.com DIETER MULITZE and automatically sync your day’s scoring to the main database when you connect to the Internet. That is incredibly powerful and efficient. Ideally, you might want to walk across a whole field with many experiments and upload a whole field’s data at once — even more powerful! Like smartphones and laptops, there are a number of options. If you’re considering making the switch to a tablet or looking to upgrade, consider: • Weight — When you’re in the field, it’s essentially an extension of your body. The lighter it is, the better. • Screen size — There are a variety of sizes, from 7 inches to 10 inches. The larger the screen, the less scrolling and more freedom you’ll have. • Screen reflection — Choose a tablet that has a good reflection, especially for outdoors. • Durability — It needs to hold up in field conditions (80- and 90-degree days with full sun and high humidity). • Performance and storage — You’ll likely want at least 2 GB, but ask questions and do your research. • Camera — Does it have a camera? Your enhanced note-taking capabilities will depend on an internal camera. • Upgrades — Unlike phones, tablets tend to get upgrades. Make sure it’s at least on the current operating system. Now that you know what to look for, happy shopping.