Coated seed has many benefits and advantages to offer forage, oilseed and turfgrass growers alike. These include the most effective method of preinoculation available, significant benefits to the seedling from the starter fertilizer package contained in the coat and the fact that it is an economical, effective method of seed treatment. Coating is considered the simplest, safest and most effective way to treat any seed with virtually any seed treatment.

1) PRE-INOCULATION

Pre-inoculation is the addition of nodule bacteria (rhizobia) to the seed, weeks or even months in advance of sowing. It ensures that the bacteria are in close proximity to the roots of the germinating seedling and thus, in a position to cause fast, effective nodulation.

The need for legume inoculation is now widely recognized, particularly in the case of trefoils, as there are few native populations of the rhizobium (loti) necessary to induce nodulation in this species present in North American soils.

It is true that areas of Canada and the U.S. do have populations of rhizobium meliloti (alfalfa bacteria) and that in many cases, uninoculated alfalfa seed would nodulate when sown in these soils. It is also true that the yield of many of the plants infected by these native bacteria would be significantly greater had they been nodulated by the more effective strains of rhizobium used in the Prill-On® Precision-Cote® Rhizoseal® and Rhizoseal® Premium processes.

2) NUTRIENT BENEFITS

Seed coating creates a nutritious environment around the establishing seedling and increases vigor during its critical early development. The main nutrient included in our seed coatings is phosphorus. Twenty percent of all Prill-On®, Nutriprill® and Precision-Cote® grass seed coatings and nine percent of Prill-On® legume coating is phosphatic fertilizer, which is essential for healthy root development and seedling establishment. Even on soils with sufficiently high phosphorus levels to sustain normal growth, localized placement is very beneficial. It is desirable from the standpoint of accessibility to the establishing seedling and in order to reduce fixation. Phosphorus does not move in the soil, therefore, the nearer it can be placed to the seed, the more effectively it can be utilized by the seedling.

3) SEED TREATMENTS

Seed treatments are often used on both turf and forages. Research data available from trials using various seed treatments indicate that they may have a detrimental affect on the viability of some strains of rhizobium. Research with coated seed products containing seed treatments has shown good compatibility between the seed treatments and rhizobium when the rhizobium are encased by the layering effect of the coating materials.

Canola seed benefits even more from the unique Chemseal® and Chemgard seed treatment process. To help ensure maximum yield, seed treatment of canola seed is essential. The most suitable treatments available are those "combination products" which contain both insecticides (for flea beetle control) and fungicides for control of fungal diseases such as Blackleg.

Conventional treaters can "miss" a significant portion of the seed as it passes through the drum. Also, once the chemical has been applied, it dries and is then able to "dust off" the seed, thus becoming less effective - coating overcomes both these problems.

During the Chemseal® and Chemgard processes, flowable formulations of seed treatments are used by thoroughly mixing them with a liquid polymer. In order to be coated, every seed must be completely covered by the polymer, which contains the required seed treatment. Thus we can be 100% certain that if the seed is coated, it must contain the polymer and consequently any seed treatment that has been combined with the polymer.

The outside of the coat is sealed by a dust free polymer layer, which ensures that the seed treatment is contained within the coat and that it is virtually impossible for the seed treatment to "dust off".

A second problem alleviated by the use of seed coating is the possibility of accidental poisoning during the "on-farm" seed treatment process. Chemseal® and Chemgard ensure that the farmer does not come into direct contact with the seed treatment either during the treating process or during seeding. The distinctive coating around the seed prevents all contact with the seed treatment and also acts as a "marker" ensuring the seed will not inadvertently be used for food or feed.

4) PROTECTION FROM STRESS CONDITIONS

The coating materials, as well as the physical barrier created by the coat itself, protect the rhizobium and seed from low pH conditions. Calcium Carbonate is very effective in buffering soil pH in the micro-environment around the seed. The pH range of coated seed (6.5 to 7) is optimum for nutrient uptake and while desiccation can quickly reduce the rhizobium populations, the coat offers the bacteria protection from the effects of drying winds and sun. This is especially beneficial when forage legumes are sown by air or broadcast.

5) PROTECTION FROM ANIMALS, BIRDS AND FERTILIZERS

Most rodents and birds do not recognize coated seed as food. The increased size of the seed is one-reason birds do not take it and the coating materials, especially the dyes and phosphate used in turfgrasses, are not at all palatable to either rodents or birds. Some fertilizers, e.g. superphosphate and sulphate of ammonia, can’t be mixed with uncoated seed. The coating layer protects both the seed and the rhizobium from the harmful effects of these fertilizers.

6. BALLISTIC PROPERTIES

Coated grass seed is approximately twice the weight of bare seed. Aerial sown grasses penetrate ground cover more effectively than bare seed and thus make better contact with the seedbed. Some seeds, e.g. meadow foxtail and bromegrass, are difficult to sow due to their very light weight. Coating can increase the weight of these species, by as much as three times and this, combined with the increased size of the seed, facilitates sowing.

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