Editor’s Note: This summary was posted in the January 19 edition of the Wisconsin Crop Manager (Volume 24: No.1). The full article can be accessed here.

The commercial base (CB) and ILeVO (CB + fluopyram) seed treatments decreased risk and substantially increase profit across a wide range of seeding rates.

Yield response to seed treatment was environment specific, and across all environments, the yield response to ILeVO was 2.8% compared to 5.3% (WISDS) and 6.1% (IA) when visual SDS symptoms were present.

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).

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.

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.

Particularly target these seed treatments for fields with a history of SDS and damage from early insects and pathogens to maximize economic return.