PROTECTANTS

Why add pesticides to soil and air when seed protectant treatments can be applied directly to seeds?

Organic seed-applied plant protectants can provide a low-risk, highly targeted way to enhance seedling health, fight pests, and improve stand establishment.

What are they?

Seed-applied plant protectants are revolutionary new compounds that extend protection up to 3-4 weeks after germination. We apply plant protectants to the seeds themselves, resulting in a safe and controlled delivery mechanism of compounds that help control seedling diseases and insect pests. These treatments work when and where they’re needed most–right on the germinating seed, the most critical point in plant development.

Benefits to the plants AND the environment

Seed pellets have been shown to be effective carriers of plant protectants (pesticides). The same plant protectants that can be deleterious if applied directly to the seed can be safely “carried” in the seed pellet. Selected pelleting materials can act as a buffer. The act of applying a plant protectant in a band within the pellet is known as “pellet loading.” The pellet can either “dilute” the negative impact of a plant protectant as it moves through the pellet to the seed, or act as a barrier to prevent direct seed contact. Active products can thus be “loaded” onto the seed while minimizing adverse seed germination effects.

Seed-applied plant protectants are beneficial to the environment because the total amount of “toxicants” applied per acre is significantly less than with traditional foliar sprays (ground or air applied), in-furrow, or irrigation applied because of the following reasons:

• precise placement on the target
• minimum toxicant used
• minimum environmental impact
• minimum wildlife and beneficial organism exposure

FarMore OI-100® Seed-applied Plant Protectant

Organic bulb onion farmers have reason to celebrate — FarMore OI-100 with the active ingredient Spinosad. Spinosad is a naturally occurring organic compliant seed treatment for the effective control of onion and corn root maggots. We can combine this seed-applied plant protectant with your priming and/or pelleting treatment for highly effective results — a rare commodity in the organically compliant world of seed treatments.