Friday, 01 November 2024 09:55

Products to keep brassica seeds safe

Written by  Tim Redfern

Forage brassica crops provide an excellent source of energy and protein for grazing livestock at critical times of the year when the quantity and quality of pasture on offer is limiting livestock production.

A high yielding crop doesn’t just magically appear, good planning and management are critical to the outcome, particularly in the lead up to sowing and in the early stages of crop development.

One very important area for farmers to address is pest management. The first four to six weeks after sowing is a critical period in the life of a new crop, as seedlings emerge and develop their physical makeup. The longer a plant remains small, the more at risk it is to attack from both insects and fungal disease.

The loss of plants early can have a major impact on crop yield. The application of seed treatment agents onto seed helps mitigate against these risks, providing a low-cost early crop protection solution, helping ensure the crop is on its way to reaching its full genetic potential.

PGG Wrightson Seeds Ltd offers two different seed treatment options on brassica products supplied through its forage seed brands, PGG Wrightson Seeds and Agricom. The company has applied Ultrastrike and Gaucho to brassica seed for over 25 years, with both products market leaders in the seed treatment space. Of the two treatments, Ultrastrike is very much the premium product with its inclusion of systemic insecticide, two contact fungicides and molybdenum in the formulation, making it a more comprehensive offering than the insecticide- based Gaucho treatment.

The application of systemic insecticide in Ultrastrike provides protection against both biting and sucking insects, including Springtails, Aphids, Nysius and Argentine Stem Weevil. The active ingredient is released into the soil profile at germination. As the seedling develops it is taken up by the young plant roots and is translocated throughout the plant providing protection against the target insects for up to six weeks. The fungicide active-ingredients are also released into the soil profile at germination, creating a barrier around the root zone, blocking infection from the soilborne fungal pathogens; pythium, fusarium and rhizoctonia that cause ‘Damping Off’ disease in seedlings. The addition of molybdenum in the Ultrastrike treatment provides a startup supply of nutrient, that is available for fast uptake by the germinating seedling.

A field trial undertaken by PGG Wrightson Seeds Ltd in Canterbury highlighted how important seed treatment is in safeguarding seedlings through the plant establishment period. The scientific trial compared the plant establishment and subsequent crop yield of Ultrastrike treated kale seed and untreated kale seed.

An invasion of Springtails in the first three to four weeks after sowing cleaned out a large percentage of seedlings in the untreated plots, while the Ultrastrike treated plots established very well.

When the crop yield was measured six months later, the untreated seed plots averaged 8,100 kg DM/ha and the Ultrastrike treated plots averaged 15,900 kg DM/ha. The seed treatment provided a net financial return of over $1,500/ha.

Forage brassica crops play an important role in pastoral farming systems. Mitigating risks during early crop development is crucial to the success of these crops.

Investing in seed treatment products such as Ultrastrike is an important step in the process.

Tim Redfern is sales manager at Branded Products, PGG Wrightson Seeds Ltd

More like this

Tractor to help budding farmers

Jeff Farm is a 2433ha property near Gore, owned and run by the Salvation Army since the early 1950s after it was gifted by farmer Edmund Jeff, with the stipulation it be "used to train young people with a passion for agriculture, who would not otherwise have such a career option" - for a career in the New Zealand agricultural industry.

A year of global challenges

As a guest of the Italian Trade Association, Rural News Group Machinery Editor Mark Daniel took the opportunity to make an early November dash to Bologna to the 46th EIMA exhibition.

BA Pumps expand

Cambridge based BA Pumps & Sprayers, specialists in New Zealand-made spraying equipment, has acquired Tokoroa Engineering’s product range, including the iconic Milk Bar mobile calf feeder products, alongside calf and feed trailers.

Entries open for innovation award

Fieldays and its renowned Innovation Awards are celebrating their 57th year, marking a longstanding tradition in the agricultural calendar, with the latter delivering a platform for problem-solvers to showcase their innovation to the primary industries.

Mounting kit helps with accurate metering, spreading

StocksAg has introduced a mounting kit to fit its Turbo Jet 8 or 10 units to pneumatic trailed SKY EasyDrills, allowing separate metering and accurate application of products like Avadex through an additional set of outlets behind the drill’s press wheel.

Featured

Massey Research Field Day attracts huge interest

More than 200 people turned out on Thursday, November 21 to see what progress has been made on one of NZ's biggest and most comprehensive agriculture research programmes on regenerative agriculture.

Expo set to wow again

Stellar speakers, top-notch trade sites, innovation, technology and connections are all on offer at the 2025 East Coast Farming Expo being once again hosted in Wairoa in February.

A year of global challenges

As a guest of the Italian Trade Association, Rural News Group Machinery Editor Mark Daniel took the opportunity to make an early November dash to Bologna to the 46th EIMA exhibition.

Boost for hort exports

The horticulture sector is a big winner from recent free trade deals sealed with the Gulf states, says Associate Agriculture Minister Nicola Grigg.

National

OSPRI's costly software upgrade

Animal disease management agency OSPRI has announced sweeping governance changes as it seeks to recover from the expensive failure of…

Machinery & Products

BA Pumps expand

Cambridge based BA Pumps & Sprayers, specialists in New Zealand-made spraying equipment, has acquired Tokoroa Engineering’s product range, including the…

Entries open for innovation award

Fieldays and its renowned Innovation Awards are celebrating their 57th year, marking a longstanding tradition in the agricultural calendar, with…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Chinese strategy

OPINION: Fonterra may have sold its dairy farms in China but the appetite for collaboration with the country remains strong.

Not fair

OPINION: The Listener's latest piece on winter grazing among Southland dairy farmers leaves much to be desired.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter