Insecticide and Fungicide Wheat Seed Treatment Improves Wheat Grain Yields in the U.S. Southern Plains

Abstract

Hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the U.S. Southern Plains is subject to yield losses due to a wide range of pests. Foliar‐applied pesticides are commonly used to control damaging insect populations, but rescue application of foliar pesticides generally occurs at or above threshold infestation levels, commonly leading to yield losses. Further, excessive precipitation, high winds, or producer labor constraints can delay foliar application beyond economically‐optimal thresholds. Insecticide seed treatment offers a method to potentially reduce wheat yield losses due to pest infestations and avoid timing and efficacy issues sometimes associated with foliar applications. Many wheat seed treatments also include a fungicide that protects wheat yield by enhancing seedling emergence, increasing early‐season vigor, and preventing or reducing fall establishment of fungal diseases such as leaf rust. Our purposes here were to investigate the impact of insecticide and fungicide seed treatment on grain yield, grain volume weight, and economic return of hard red winter wheat in Oklahoma. A three‐year study (2008, 2011, and 2012) was conducted at three to five western Oklahoma locations per year. In addition to seed treatment, stocker cattle were used to graze at some locations during winter months, and our analyses also considered the impact of winter grazing on yield, test weight, and economic return.

Impact of seed-applied fungicide and insecticide on Azospirillum brasilense survival and wheat growth-promoting ability

“…This technique brings benefits, such as seedling protection and reduction of environmental impacts, but can also bring some limitations (Lamichhane et al 2020). Wheat production without seed treatment dramatically reduces grain yield, making pesticide treatment indispensable (DeVuyst et al 2014;Laminchhane et al 2020). Our results showed that A. brasilense inoculation is compatible with fungicide and insecticide seed dressing, provided that maximum time of four hours between inoculation and sowing is adhered to.…”

Value of neonicotinoid seed treatments to US soybean farmers

“…The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) obligates the EPA to balance between risks and benefits when making pesticide registration decisions . Much of the benefit evidence for neonicotinoid seed treatments has come from small‐plot field experiments examining the impact of neonicotinoids on yields for a variety of crops in the United States . As with all scientific methodologies, small‐plot studies have limitations.…”

Wheat Variety Response to Seed Cleaning and Treatment after Fusarium Head Blight Infection

“…Retrieving seed produced in a growing season with high FHB incidence may also have influenced the relatively high yield response to chemical seed treatment in our study, although seed treatments have previously increased grain yield in other studies (Beres et al, 2016;DeVuyst et al, 2014;Pike et al, 1993;Turkington et al, 2016). The chance of achieving a sufficient yield increase to cover the costs associated with seed treatment depends on the treatment costs (Esker and Conley, 2012).…”