U.S. growers can save additional money on Garst corn and soybean purchases through the New Bean Counter Bonus Program™
 
Growers planting Garst® brand soybeans treated with Cruiser®Maxx® Pak seed treatment will achieve unmatched early-season protection from insects and diseases, while realizing significant savings through the new Bean Counter Bonus ProgramTM. CruiserMaxx Pak is a combination of Cruiser® seed treatment insecticide and ApronMaxx® brand seed treatment fungicide from Syngenta.

Growers who purchase Garst corn hybrids treated with Cruiser ExtremeTM Pak along with the CruiserMaxx Pak-treated soybeans can save on average as much as $3.25 per acre on their beans, according to Scott Hart, soybean product manager for Garst Seed Company.

“To maximize soybean yields, growers not only need to get seedlings off to a fast start, but also must minimize the damage caused by diseases and insects, such as soybean aphids and bean leaf beetles,” says Hart. “The leading insecticide and fungicides in our seed treatment program will enable growers to improve seedling vigor, reduce replanting costs and protect their seed investment throughout the growing season. We believe being able to achieve this while saving money is a tremendous bonus to growers.”

In addition to better stands, plant vigor, speed to canopy and higher yields, CruiserMaxx Pak protects soybean seeds and seedlings against yield-threatening seed- and foliar-feeding insects, including soybean aphid, bean leaf beetle, seedcorn maggot and wireworm. By keeping insect populations under control, CruiserMaxx Pak protects soybeans from some of the viruses that insects are likely to transmit, including bean pod mottle virus transmitted by the feeding of the bean leaf beetle. In addition, the ApronMaxx fungicide provides excellent protection against all major seed- and soil-borne disease pathogens, including Pythium, early-season Phytophthora, Rhizoctonia, Fusarium, seed-borne Sclerotinia, seed-borne Phomopsis and general seed rots.

Hart notes that in field tests with heavy insect pressure, CruiserMaxx Pak-treated soybeans have shown as much as a 10 to 14 bushel-per-acre yield advantage over untreated seed.

One of the available options for CruiserMaxx Pak will be the new ApronMaxx RFC, a rhizobia friendly concentrate. ApronMaxx RFC is safe to nitrogren-fixing bacteria applied to the seed, known as rhizobia. Hart notes that ApronMaxx RFC, which has a lower application volume and requires less slurry than previous formulations of ApronMaxx, offers improved handling, flowability and plantability characteristics when combined with liquid inoculants.

Added ProCoat® Protection

All Garst soybeans treated with CruiserMaxx Pak are also treated with ProCoat®, a seed treatment available only from Garst. ProCoat delivers added protection against all major soil-borne diseases and several seed-borne diseases.  “Both ProCoat and Cruiser are proven performers in the field,” says Hart. “This combination offers growers an unbeatable defense in reaching high soybean yields. Garst is offering additional flexibility by offering a ProCoat-only treatment to those growers interested in this option.”

Cruiser Extreme Pak, which is available on select Garst corn hybrids, is a seed-applied combination of Cruiser and three proven fungicides -- Maxim® XL, Apron XL® and new DynastyTM. Cruiser Extreme Pak offers protection against a broad spectrum of early-season corn insects. The fungicides provide protection against 10 seed-borne diseases and soil-borne diseases from all four major fungal groups. Cruiser ExtremeTM Pak CRW has a higher insecticide rate, which adds control of corn rootworm and billbug.  

Soybean Variety Availability

CruiserMaxx Pak will be available on 10 Garst soybean varieties from Group 0 through Group 4. These include 0901RR from Group 0; 1703RR and 1499RR from Group I; 2018RR, 2603RR and 2834RR from Group II; 3083RR, 3624RR/N and 3712RR/N from Group III and D484RR/N from Group IV.

Garst will offer CruiserMaxx Pak on soybeans bought in 50 pound units, bulk bags and true bulk. To be eligible for the Bean Counter Bonus Program, growers must purchase 40 units of CruiserMaxx Pak-treated soybean seed and 40 units of Cruiser Extreme Pak-treated corn seed. February 15 is the deadline to order Garst soybeans treated with CruiserMaxx Pak.

Growers should check with their local Garst sales representative or Garst area agronomist for more information about seed-applied insecticide options and the new Bean Counter Bonus Program.

            
Garst Seed Company, with brand headquarters in Slater, Iowa, provides seed solutions for growers across North America with high yielding corn, soybean, sorghum, alfalfa and sunflower products. For more information about Garst brand products, contact your local Garst ProSeller or visit Garst's Web site at www.garstseed.com.

Garst Seed Company is a business division of Syngenta, a world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology. Syngenta is a leader in crop protection, and ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in 2003 were approximately $6.6 billion. Syngenta employs some 19,000 people in over 90 countries. Syngenta is listed on the Swiss stock exchange (SYNN) and in New York (SYT).
 
CruiserMaxx Pak is a commercially applied combination of two separately registered products – Cruiser and ApronMaxx brand fungicides. Cruiser Extreme Pak is a commercially applied combination of four separately registered products – Cruiser, Apron XL, Maxim SL and Dynasty. Bean Counter Bonus Program TM, Cruiser®, Maxx®, Cruiser ExtremeTM, ApronMaxx®, Apron XL®, Maxim®, and DynastyTM are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company.

ProCoat® is a registered trademark of Garst Seed Company.