What Does Treated Seed Mean?
Treated seed refers to seeds that have been treated with some sort of chemical prior to planting. The treatment is for the farmer's advantage.
In agriculture and horticulture, seed treatment is also known as seed dressing. It is a chemical, typically antimicrobial or fungicidal, with which seeds are treated (or "dressed") prior to planting.
Seed treatments can be a more environmentally friendly way of using pesticides and insecticides, as the amounts of the products used can be very small. It is common practice to add color to make treated seeds less attractive to birds, as well as to make them easier to see and clean up in the case of an accidental spillage.
Maximum Yield Explains Treated Seed
There are various different advantages to treating seeds, such as the fact that treating seeds can lead to a higher yield of crops. This mainly depends on the crop conditions and type of treatment. Some products can help optimize yields by allowing the seeds to be more accurately placed, reducing the seed dormancy potential, and helping seeds germinate more easily in hostile conditions. This all adds up to an optimized yield in crops.
Another advantage of treated seeds is that it often pays for itself. Growers commonly recover the cost of seed treatment with the increased yield and reduced thinning costs. The total value of the course is dependent on the crop and market value.
Treated seeds also lead to an improved crop quality as they grow into high quality plants for several reasons. Pelleted seeds can be planted at more consistent depths which helps plants emerge more evenly. Priming helps induce uniformity at emergence and aids in plant maturation, which means a more consistent harvest. Seed-applied plant protectants help maximize harvest potential.
Seeds can encounter disease stress in several ways, such as from soil-borne fungal disease organisms, which can cause seed rots, damping-off, seedling blights, and root rot. Other pathogens, like smut, can affect the surface of seeds. Finally, other pathogens, including bacterial diseases, can come from the inside of the seed itself. Treated seeds, however, can also act as a safeguard against diseases.
Treated seeds help with pest protection while having a lower environmental impact. The chemical loading of pellets provides a means to treat seeds directly, instead of being delivered in-furrow, onto the plant, broadcast or sprayed, or applied in the soil, and so the total amount of chemicals applied per acre is considerably less. Fewer chemicals end up reaching the ground, the plants, and the environment.
Using treated seeds is also a smarter way to apply anti-pest products for a number of reasons. Benefits of seed treatments include the application of the product directly on the target, not the soil, air, or mature plant. It also minimizes the exposure of such chemicals to wildlife and is deemed more beneficial to organisms.
Finally, treated seed significantly reduces the need for farming transportation and handling of chemicals.
