A multi-year study from Golden Harvest Agronomy Research clearly demonstrates the benefits of planting Golden Harvest soybean varieties treated with Cruiser®Maxx®, a combination of Cruiser insecticide and ApronMaxx® fungicide.

According to Golden Harvest agronomy systems manager, Wayne Fithian, Golden Harvest research agronomists have documented a number of significant advantages for crop producers who plant CruiserMaxx Pak treated seed, including:

• Improved emergence

• Earlier canopy

• More yield

• Reduced risk / peace of mind

• Broad spectrum insect and seed/seedling disease protection

“What we found is that CruiserMaxx Pak protects soybeans from a broad spectrum of early season diseases, along with seed and foliar feeding insects, including seedcorn maggot, wireworm, and overwintering bean leaf beetle, as well as suppressing early season soybean aphid activity,” Fithian explained. “Seed-applied insecticides dramatically reduce feeding injury from overwintering bean leaf beetle adults, resulting in larger, healthier seedling plants, reduced dependency on post-applied foliar insecticides, and increased producer time to manage other farm activities.”

Golden Harvest Agronomy Research has evaluated the efficacy of seed-applied insecticides on soybeans annually, since 2001. Research has focused on:

• The overall role of seed-applied insecticides in soybean production

• Interactions of seed-applied insecticides with soybean response to planting rate

• Differences in response to seed-applied insecticides as affected by proximity of untreated soybeans

 “The addition of an insecticide/fungicide seed treatment has been shown to improve seedling emergence, resulting in stronger stand establishment at all seedling rates tested. The resulting data set clearly demonstrates the benefits of planting Golden Harvest soybean varieties treated with CruiserMaxx Pak,” Fithian said.

Effect of Seed Treatment on Bean Leaf Beetle Damage to Soybean Unifoliate Leaflets

According to Cliff Watrin, technical manager of Syngenta’s seed treatment division, growers are trying to maximize yields by planting earlier, however, this schedule can increase early-season stress on young soybean plants, especially exposure to early-season disease.

“The trend is definitely toward earlier planting dates and reduced tillage practices,” Watrin said. “It’s critical for growers to protect their soybean crop from the day it’s planted. That’s why Syngenta introduced CruiserMaxx Pak, a combination of Cruiser and ApronMaxx, as an insecticide and fungicide combination for soybeans.”

In 2004, Golden Harvest set out to find an answer to growers questions about the benefits of planting insecticide-treated seed on all acres. Agronomy Up Front® Research established a study to investigate the effect of untreated soybeans on treated soybeans as influenced by proximity of the untreated block. The results predicted a higher yield for insecticide-treated seed—7.5 bu/acre higher when comparing a field-size block of treated soybeans to a block of untreated soybeans—LSD (0.05)=2.4. The study also underscored the advantages of seed-applied insecticide, particularly for early-plant operations:

• INSECT PRESSURE: Overwintering adult bean leaf beetle counts supported the hypothesis that a field (interior) of treated soybeans will be exposed to less insect pressure compared to treated soybeans growing in a strip or small plot trial (edge).

• YIELD: Farmers will experience a greater response to seed-applied insecticides when treated soybeans are planted in larger blocks (i.e., field level), and are not immediately adjacent to untreated soybeans

Crop producers who have questions about Golden Harvest’s Agronomy Up Front research efforts can call Wayne Fithian at 800-9GH-SEED or e-mail: wayne.fithian@ghseeds.com.