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Mar. 7, 2008 Source: BASF news release With planting being pushed earlier and earlier to get a jump on a good crop, protecting seeds and seedlings against the risk of cold stress is an increasingly important consideration for corn and soybean growers. Trials and research results on cold tolerance in corn and soybeans with BASF seed treatments presented yesterday at the BASF Science Behind Seed Treatments symposium hold promise for improved seedling emergence under stress conditions. "What we're seeing in research trials with new StaminaŽ fungicide seed treatment and another pipeline seed treatment for soybeans in development are the benefits of controlling key seedling diseases for healthy plants right out of the ground," said Craig Lindholm, marketing manager - Seed Treatments, U.S. Crop Protection at BASF. "This is critical to protecting and maximizing yield by giving seedlings a stronger, faster start, improved plant vigor and increased stands in those critical early days when soils are generally cold and wet." The trials were conducted in the research greenhouses at the BASF site in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Field trials conducted in Wisconsin and Nebraska in 2007 confirmed similar results. Lab conditions were simulated to represent cold, wet field conditions by testing corn seedlings at a controlled temperature of 23 F (-5°C) for one, two and three hour periods - not unlike what might occur during an early season frost. These cold stress assays measured results after two hours of 23 F temperatures. Half of the seedlings treated with the standard treatment program were damaged, while all the seedlings from corn seed treated with Stamina remained undamaged. After three hours of 23 F temperatures, 85 percent of the seedlings treated with the standard program were damaged compared to only 30 percent of those treated with Stamina. "Stamina has consistently shown top performance in cold and stress tolerance tests compared to competitor treatments," said Lindholm. "This offers tremendous value in providing the crop with a strong start and protecting the investment in traits." Similar tests were conducted in soybeans with seedling mortality as the measure. In these assays, soybean seedlings were exposed to 20 F (-7°C) temperatures for three hours and 30 minutes. Seedlings at the sensitive stage nine of development (just breaking through soil) had 45 percent mortality in the untreated check compared to only 18 percent in the soybean seedlings treated with a pipeline fungicide seed treatment for soybeans from BASF, which is currently pending registration. "The studies showed that this pipeline fungicide seed treatment for soybeans helped reduce seedling mortality at the initial stages," said Lindholm. |
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