SUPPORTED BY ENDORSED BY of mind is safety. One of the things that the company is honing in on is automation. Automation allows for a safer work environment, as seed treatment operators don’t have to handle the the product itself, and clean out is simpler. But not far behind safety is efficacy. It’s a close first, too, Lupfer says. “When we remove some- thing from the seed, it needs to not only be safer for the seed and the environment but also more efficacious,” he adds. The team working at the Syngenta Seedcare Institute, based in Stanton, Minn., works on both broad spec- trum solutions as well as those tailored for a specific need or customer. “We are looking for solu- tions that are really safe and can be adopted across a number of crops, equipment and environmental condi- tions,” Lupfer says. “Yet, we also have customers and operators who want a product tailored to their needs and situation.” Vibrance was one of the first products to focus on both soil- and root-borne diseases, according to Lupfer. On the Horizon Looking ahead, Lupfer says his team is focused on four primary components: ease of application, adjacent technol- “We’re not looking to remove humans; we’re looking to provide more information that can aid the decision- making process.” — Christophe Lupfer ogies, safety and stewardship of the operator, and digital tools. “We really want to make things as easy as possible for applicators,” Lupfer says Just how easy? Lupfer compares buying a margarita premix to someone who pours their own concoction. The do- it-yourselfer might serve up a perfect margarita on Saturday night but then the following Friday, you notice something’s not quite the same. A premix, he says, ensures consistency for both the applicator as well as the end customer. “In the future, I don’t think the most innovative tech- nology comibinations will comprise only chemistry or only biologicals,” Lupfer says. “Rather, it will be some combi- nation of both.” Adjacent technologies are also key to advancing the seed treatment sector. These include colorant technolo- gies and things that make the product last longer and pro- tect the seed pre-planting and post-planting. Again, safety remains at the top of the priority list for Lupfer and his colleagues. This means safety at the time of treatment, when products are delivered, when seed is planted and during harvest. Syngenta formulation specialists look at the dif- ferent environmental condi- tions a seed treatment will be exposed to during production, storage and on the farm. They also consider how it will affect non-target organisms. “We steward safety throughout every stage of production and throughout the value chain,” Lupfer says. The other thing Lupfer has his eye on is digital tools and automation, which he believes will be the future of the industry. He clarifies: “We’re not looking to remove humans; we’re looking to provide more information that can aid in the decision-making process.” He says these could come in the form of apps that tell customers real time the qual- ity of the seed that’s being treated. These apps could come in the form of calcula- tion tools, process control tools, or an exchange of infor- mation from the seed treat- ment applicator to the grower. The development of these tools, as he sees it, could help with record keeping, calibra- tion and tracking. “This is where we want to be at the forefront,” Lupfer says. “Of course, education will be an essential compo- nent behind the scenes to get all these pieces in place, but that’s where we think the future is.” SW 52 / SEEDWORLD.COM SEPTEMBER 2017 LEARNMORE To learn more about the incricacies behind seed loading and how products are being applied to the seed, join Seed World for a webinar Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. Eastern. There is no cost to participate in the webinar. For more information and to register, visit SeedWorld.com/webinar.