Heads Up® RTA Seed Treatment (Heads Up RTA), an innovation from Heads Up Plant Protectants Inc, is now available nationally for ag retailers and seed dealers across the United States. The product is an upgraded, reformulated version of Heads Up® Plant Protectant, which is a trusted biological seed treatment aiding in the suppression of soybean white mold, sudden death syndrome (SDS), and rhizoctonia, in an easy-to-use, convenient, ready-to-apply formulation.
“Heads Up Plant Protectant has been a leading product in our biological portfolio of seed care products,” said Ross Nesbitt, Distributor, Owner, UAS. “Among our customers (seed dealers), Heads Up has been a reliable and trusted first step for white mold and SDS management in soybeans. We look forward to offering Heads Up RTA this coming season for its convenience, ease of use and to make treating more efficient for our customers.”
The why of developing RTA
Historically, Heads Up Plant Protectant was sold commercially as a water-soluble wettable powder (WP). Prior to use at the treater, applicators would mix the powder with 100 ounces of non-chlorinated water to make a pre-slurry concentrate solution.
“While many benefits of a WP exist, many dealers and retailers expressed concerns that mixing a WP prior to seed treating was causing them unnecessary slowdowns when time is of the essence. When treating seed, there is a need to eliminate any downtime and optimize inefficiencies, as often treating is happening right as the seed is going out the door to be planted” Colin Dutcheshen, President of Heads Up Plant Protectants explains.
“We were getting a lot of feedback from customers who wanted an easier formulation to use. When I brought up the idea of a liquid ready-to-apply, dealers thought it would be tremendous. A lot of dealers have prescriptive treating systems, so calculating out how much dry product to use for a batch, then mixing it into a solution, was simply not realistic. These conversations solidified the need for a ready-to-apply formulation”, states Dutcheshen.
To fit that need, Heads Up has spent three years re-developing, field testing, and formulating an RTA (ready-to-apply) option, known as Heads Up® RTA Seed Treatment, which will be commercially available in 2023.
“While we are excited about Heads Up® RTA Seed Treatment”, Dutcheshen adds, “we plan to offer both Heads UP® RTA and Heads Up® Plant Protectant this coming year, giving treaters both options.”
Key benefits of using Heads Up® RTA® Heads Up® RTA Seed Treatment has several benefits, such as:
– Two-year shelf life
– Extremely low use rate of 0.5oz/100 lbs for beans
– Ideal for treating small batches of seed
– Systemic, broad-spectrum, season-long disease protection
– Utilizes a complementary alternative mode of action to traditional fungicides, called Systemic Acquired Resistance
– Compatible with other seed treatments/inoculants (no antagonism)
– No time to plant restrictions
– Contains no living organisms (non-microbial)
– Safe to user and environment, non-toxic
– Non-sticky, free-flowing formulation
– Cost-effective: The MSRP is $4.00/unit when treating soybeans.
Early 2022 Data
*Base Seed Treatment is an industry-standard fungicide/insecticide blend
About Heads Up® RTA
Heads Up® RTA Seed Treatment is available in configurations of 1-gallon (100 net fl. ounce), 15-gallon, and 30-gallon container sizes.
100 fl. ounces treats 400 units or 20,000 lbs of soybean seed.
The product is registered for soybeans, edible beans, corn, wheat, peas, tomatoes, and potatoes. See the label for specific handling and individual use rates per crop.
About Heads Up Plant Protectants Inc
Founded in 1999, Heads Up Plant Protectants Inc is a family owned, independent company. They specialize in the manufacturing of biological crop protection products and are based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Heads Up® Plant Protectant, the company’s signature product, is part of a complete seed treatment package for several leading US-based soybean seed companies and was applied on over eight million acres of soybeans in 2022.
To find out more, view data, and find a list of distributors, visit www.headsupST.com or call toll-free 1-866-368-9306.
Heads Up® RTA Seed Treatment is registered in AZ, NE, SD, ND, MN, IA, MO, AR. WA, IL, MT, WI, MI, OH, KY, KS, CO, IN, PA, TN, NC. EPA Reg. #81853-3.
