Maximizing crop health: the impact of biological seed treatments

While it may be small, a kernel of corn is tasked with a big job. The seed must withstand myriad obstacles such as unpredictable weather, disease, and pests in its quest to grow into a healthy crop. Biological seed treatments complement conventional farming practices, giving producers more ways to protect and enhance plant health while using fewer synthetic inputs.

“Farmers continue to face numerous challenges in producing abundant, healthy crops, and seed treatments remain an essential tool that enables more sustainable and economical farming,” says Prabdeep Bajwa, vice president, seed applied technologies at Corteva Agriscience. “They help ensure farmers ‘Win the Start’ so seed reaches its full genetic potential. The additional protection from seed treatments also supports sustainable practices such as no-till, reduced-till, and early planting.”

Seed treatments contribute to reducing a farmer’s environmental footprint. “They may reduce the amount of crop protection products that need to be applied to soil or sprayed on crops later in the season,” he says. “Seed treatments can also help farmers use fewer resources including labor and fuel.”

With more than 10 years deploying biological seed treatments in North America, Corteva has now expanded globally. In three years, the company has developed a portfolio that includes 16 biostimulants, biofungicides, and bioinsecticides.

Better Understanding = Better Adoption

Biologicals are not a new concept, but they have been gaining momentum in the past few years. “I have been working with biologicals for a long time,” says Keith O’Bryan, director of product development, seed treatments at Pivot Bio. “Like anything else, the better understanding you have, the more apt you are to use it.”

Biological seed treatments are no different.

“We are working with living organisms that produce a form of nitrogen the seed can use throughout the growing season, so they need to be managed differently,” he says. “When you understand how on-seed nitrogen applications work and where they perform best, you can then begin to look at how they might fit into your management plan. As that understanding continues to grow, so will adoption.”

The product gained the attention of the Backmans, who began using Pivot Bio’s Proven 40 OS on their corn acres in 2022. Located in west central Minnesota, the family farm — which includes Tim and Marilyn and their sons, Michael and James — raises corn, soybeans, wheat, and sugar beets. The Backmans also operate Backman Seeds, where they sell DeKalb, Asgrow, AgriGold, and Peterson Farms Seed as well as clean and sell wheat seed.

“We’re new to the biological space,” Michael Backman says. “In the past, we haven’t used a lot of biologicals on our farm, which wasn’t very progressive on our part. But the thing with biologicals is some of them are good; some of them are bad. And you usually only hear about the bad ones. Depending on your appetite for risk, there’s obviously going to be some hesitation.”

Discussions with trusted colleagues along with the upfront savings in nitrogen costs convinced them to give the biological on-seed nitrogen a try. O’Bryan says Proven 40 OS can replace up to 40 pounds of nitrogen on a per acre basis.

“Because the nitrogen is on the seed, it is available throughout the season when the plant needs it the most. It’s a consistent form of nitrogen, which is its biggest selling point,” he says, adding that the biological is active on the seed for up to 60 days after it has been treated.

Even though they cut nitrogen by 30 pounds per acre in 2022 and faced some limiting factors, Backman says their corn was bigger and healthier with similar yield performance seen in previous years.

“We had a wet spring, and a lot of our planting didn’t get done until late May,” Backman says. “In a normal growing season, we receive about 12 inches of moisture on average. Last year, we had 4 inches of rain, so drought became an issue.”

Because they tend to have substantial rain events in the spring, the Backmans felt their lighter soils needed more nitrogen upfront, so it was available when the plant needed it. However, when they compared their on-seed treatment to in-furrow application, there was no statistical difference, which made them realize nitrogen may not always be the defining factor in yield.

“We put a lot of trust in people who claim they’ve done their research. When the microbes did what the company said they would, that was the aha moment for us,” Backman says, adding that it will be interesting to see what happens when they use Proven 40 OS in a normal year.

This growing season the Backmans cut the full 40 pounds of nitrogen Proven 40 OS replaces. They also plan to do a trial that looks at nitrogen rates, so they can learn more about how much should be applied.

While Backman believes they are getting a bigger bang for their buck with this on-seed treatment based on the price per unit, he says they also need to pay closer attention to other nutrients. “Until we have the foundation set when it comes to phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur, I think we may be missing the boat. As our agronomist likes to say, ‘Fertility management is like a soup. There are several things that need to be in place to make it good.’”

Ultimately, Backman says it all boils down to efficiency. “Close enough is not good enough anymore. Our execution must be flawless. With the juice on the seed, nitrogen is getting to the plant when it needs it the most, which is huge,” he says.