The vast majority of cereal seed dressings are fungicide based and a small number contain both fungicide and insecticide. There are now very few insecticidal seed dressings available, with Redigo Deter being one of the most significant in recent years but now it is being prohibited in the EU. However, a few countries have been given approval to use it in cereals for BYDV prevention. Other seed dressings are used for specific purposes with Latitude used for the control of Take-All, but not seedling diseases.

Diseases that are carried on the surface of seeds can be more easily controlled by fungicides, while those that are internal in the seed, like loose smut, need actives that can penetrate into the germinating seed to kill the infection.

One of the big challenges for the seed dressing sector is the loss of actives, as it is for foliar products. This year sees the end of the line for thiram, an active that has been very important as a dressing for decades.

This was also one of the few products with any known benefit as a bird repellent, which became important following the loss of Lindane in the early 2000s

It is used in Anchor (and others), which has been a low cost good base dressing on all cereals for very many years. This was also one of the few products with any known benefit as a bird repellent, which became important following the loss of Lindane in the early 2000s.

While thiram has many replacement options in cereals, it’s loss from crops like oilseed rape, beet, swedes, peas and maize could prove to be more problematic.

This could have dramatic consequences for maize sown in the open from here on

Mesurol is also being taken away, but this is an insecticide rather than a fungicide (containing methiocarb, the active ingredient that was used in Draza) and has been used on maize almost exclusively as a bird repellent. This could have dramatic consequences for maize sown in the open from here on, and we will have to wait and see if the crows figure out its non-existence on seeds under plastic.

The other big loss for the seed dressing industry is the neonicotinoid actives, especially Redigo Deter, which was widely used on cereals for aphid control to help in the prevention of BYDV infection. Equally important is the loss of products like Gaucho and Cruiser, because of their insecticidal effect on crops like beet, turnips and kale.

New seed dressings arrive

Unlike with foliar products, new seed dressings tend to receive little attention, because most growers have no interest in the specific dressing used. They leave it to the seed assembler to protect the crop and cover any particular weakness in a stock of seed.

Nonetheless, it is important to note the changes that are taking place in the sector and the fact that some cheap products being lost will be replaced by more expensive options.

The two main incoming fungicidal products are Vibrance from Syngenta and Kinto Plus from BASF. Vibrance comes as two products; Vibrance Duo and Vibrance Star.

Vibrance Duo: This is a mixture of fludioxonil 25g/l + sedaxane 25g/l to be used on winter wheat, triticale and rye at 2.0 l/t and on spring oats at 1.0 l/t. Sedaxane is the new active on the block and it seems to have both biostimulant properties and fungicidal effects. As well as giving good control of the key establishment diseases, it provides faster establishment and emergence. It seems that this initial advantage over other dressings is generally translated into higher yields versus current standard seed treatments. These benefits might be a particularly big asset in mid to late season drilling situations, where conditions could be more challenging. This product is said to give good control of diseases like bunt and loose smut in wheat, with moderate control of fusarium, Michrodochium spp and septoria. It is good on loose smut in oats.

Vibrance Star: This is a three-way mix of fludioxonil 25g/l + sedaxane 25g/l + triticonazole 20g/l, providing three different modes of action. Triticonazole is obviously a triazole, but it is said to be safe in the medium to long term compared with other azoles. This product can also be used on barley, wheat, oats, rye and triticale.

The application rate is 2.0 l/ha for most cereals and 1.5 l/ha for oats. Like its sister product, it brings improved growth during establishment as well as very good disease control, delivering a yield advantage on its competition, which is particularly beneficial with later drilling. This product gives good control of loose and covered smut and leaf stripe, with moderate control of the seedling blights. It also shows some effect on rhizoctonia foot rot on wheat, which can be useful.

Kinto Plus: This new product from BASF contains fluxapyroxad 33.3g/l + fludioxonil 33.3g/l + triticonazole 33.3g/l and should be used at 1.5 l/ha on all cereals. This is three different families of fungicides, including an SDHI. As with Vibrance, it seems that Kinto Plus is softer on the seeds than older standard dressings, giving increased young plant performance and growth. It claims formulation advantages too with very low dust levels, excellent seed flow and improved seed colouration. It has an impressive disease spectrum, with very good activity against leaf stripe and smuts as well as against seedling blights. It has also been a very useful control of rhizoctonia and moderate efficacy against ergot.