Seed treatments on the rise
Words: Tim Redfern, PGG Wrightson Seeds
The application of crop protection and growth enhancement additives to seed is a very effective and well-established method of protecting forage crops and pasture during the critical plant establishment period.
Applying additives such as insecticides, fungicides, nutrients and biological agents on seed all play a role in protecting seedlings against external stresses, maximising stand establishment and improving the health of young plants.
Globally the seed treatment market is experiencing strong growth and is projected to grow from US$17B in 2025 to US$39B by 2032, driven by factors including increased demand for food production, the rise in environmentally sustainable farming practices and advancements in chemical and biological seed treatment technologies.
The crop protection market is rapidly changing, with synthetic chemical options in particular being rationalised. Consumers are demanding food production that is sustainably produced, which means controlling insect pests for example is a becoming a more complex task than in the past.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) will be a key approach for farmers to address pest challenges. Practices such as crop rotation, mechanical control, companion planting, biological control and targeted chemical control will all play important roles in disrupting insect lifecycles in the future.
The use of seed treatment has a good fit in the IPM approach.
Delivering synthetic chemical control via seed treatment not only targets specific insect pests that compromise seedling establishment, it also reduces the volume of active ingredient being applied to the soil profile by up to 99 per cent in comparison to a whole field chemical application.
In addition, future seed treatments will increasingly feature biological agents to help fight against insects and fungal pathogens.
PGG Wrightson Seeds has been the leading provider of seed treatment products to the New Zealand forage seed market for over 50 years. The company has a range of treatments and seed coatings, providing early crop protection solutions across forage brassica, forage grass, legume and herb seed.
The seed treatments are sold under three well established brands: Ultrastrike, Superstrike and Prillcote and are applied to an extensive range of cultivars from the PGG Wrightson Seeds and Agricom brands.
On the operational side of the business the company has invested heavily in specialist seed treating plants at key locations to support the volume of seed currently being treated and the anticipated future growth.
Product development is an important focus for PGG Wrightson Seeds in the seed treatment space. Over the years the seed treatment formulations have been updated and improved as new technologies enter the market. Today the individual formulations include a range of additives, including market leading insecticide and fungicide chemistry, micro-nutrients and in the case of legume seed, nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
All treatments include specialist seed polymers which have dual benefits of holding active ingredient on seed and minimising abrasion which protects applicators, drilling operators and the environment.
The company has partnerships with leading international crop protection companies who are research focused and have a pipeline of new technologies in the chemical and biological markets. In recent years PGG Wrightson Seeds worked alongside NZ based company Seed Innovations to develop a heavy-build seed coating product that has allowed contractors to precision plant swede seed, which has been a game changer for farmers in terms of significantly increased crop yields.
With the crop protection market continuing to evolve and rationalise, seed treatment will continue its upward trajectory in the marketplace, providing solutions for farmers, mitigating risk and helping ensure the investment in high value forage seed is protected.