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Response Of Broad Spectrum And Target Specific Seed Treatments And Seeding Rate On Soybean Seed Yield, Profitability And Economic Risk

Jan 18, 2017
By Shawn P. Conley
Soybean and Wheat Extension Specialist
  • The commercial base (CB) and ILeVO (CB + fluopyram) seed treatments decreased risk and substantially increase profit across a wide range of seeding rates.
  • X Yield response to seed treatment was environment specific, and across all environments, the yield response to ILeVO was 2.8% compared to 5.3% (WI-SDS) and 6.1% (IA) when visual SDS symptoms were present.
  • X At 2016 and 2017 seed and seed treatment costs, CB and ILeVO seed treatments at 140,000 seeds/a reduced risk greater than 70% of the time and increased average profit ($4 –19/a) across an array of environments and grain sale prices ($8 –11/bu).
  • X The CB or ILeVO seed treatments realized the lowest risk and highest average profit increase when seeding rates were lowered to the economically optimal seeding rate of 103,000 – 112,000 seeds/a.
  • X Increase seeding rates as grain sales prices increase to reduce economic risk and maximize profit, especially for untreated seed. CB and ILeVO seed treatments maintain higher break-even probabilities and profit margins at reduced seeding rates.
  • X Particularly target these seed treatments for fields with a history of SDS and damage from early