Complete the package when treating seed this season

The introduction of the innovative micronutrient suspension concentrates (SC) allowed ‘useful’ amounts of nutrient to be effectively applied to planting seed. Over the last 20 years, YaraVita has been working to develop and improve seed treatment products which have a strong focus on supporting and improving crop establishment. Seed which has good nutrient reserves supports early plant vigour and helps crop to establish well, allowing genetic potential to be expressed. When choosing a nutrient seed treatment product, often the only points considered are the product price and application rate (L/tonne of seed). This decision making process misses the most important purpose of nutrient seed treatments, that is to “apply useful quantities of nutrient”. The photo below demonstrates the importance of applying the correct nutrient rate. As you can see, the full rate or recommended rate produces a vigour plant. When the rate is halved, vigour is reduced reducing plant growth.

Calculating the rate of nutrient applied per hectare on planting seed is easy. Simply multiple the nutrient seed treatment rate (L/tonne) by the nutrient analysis of the product and then by seeding rate, e.g.

YaraVita Zintrac is 70% (w/v) zinc and recommended application rate to wheat – 4 L/tonne

Seeding Rate 100 Kg/ha

Zinc applied (g/ha) = Seeding rate (Kg/ha) x Zinc seed treatment rate (L/tonne) x YaraVita Zintrac analysis (%) / 100

= 100 Kg/ha x 4L/tonne x 70% /100

= 280 g/ha

Using YaraVita Zintrac allows useful quantities of zinc to be applied on seed. Lower analysis zinc seed treatment products struggle to apply adequate quantities of zinc (table below) since application rates are generally limited to 3-4 L/tonne of grain as an addition volume of 1-3 L/tonne is applied with plant protection products and water.

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