Indianapolis, Indiana
January 19, 2005When it
comes to seed treatments in sunflower hybrids, there are two
standard seed treatment packages available, either Apron®
MAXX® or Cruiser®. However, due to new
technologies, even more options are available to help growers
protect their seed.
"Apron MAXX was the standard
treatment for a number of years," says Bruce Due, District
Agronomist, Mycogen Seeds.
"Apron is a fungicide that is used to control downy mildew,
which can be a serious disease in sunflowers."
Available since 2003, Cruiser
is another seed treatment that has been used. Cruiser is a
stand-alone systemic insecticide, seed-applied at the processing
plant only. It protects against soil borne insects, such as
white grubs, wireworms, and in addition, sunflower beetles and
striped beetles. In 2003, sunflowers treated with Cruiser showed
a 15 percent better stand establishment than non-treated
sunflowers, according to Due.
"In 2004, 12 side-by-side plots
were compared with one side treated and the other untreated, and
planted with the same sunflower hybrid," Due explains. "The
Cruiser plots showed a 230-pound yield advantage versus the
untreated check."
Cruiser DM Helps
Provide Protection
In 2004, Cruiser® DM Pak was introduced. Cruiser DM
includes Cruiser insecticide, Dynasty™ fungicide (for downy
mildew and other soilborne diseases), along with Apron XL®
and Maxim® 4FS fungicides. Cruiser DM Pak seed
treatment provides superior sunflower protection against damage
and stand loss caused by early season soil and foliar insects.
With the addition of Dynasty fungicide, Cruiser DM Pak protects
young sunflower seedlings against early season diseases from all
four fungal groups, including suppression of downy mildew.
"Now growers have the best seed
treatment available that helps the sunflower plant establish a
vigorous stand," Due says. "Seed treatments are a good insurance
policy against insects and soil-borne diseases. This can offer
growers a payback of around $30 per acre on their investment."
No matter what seed treatments
sunflower growers choose, they must make their decision early.
Ordering must be completed by February 1 to ensure Cruiser DM
Pak seed availability. Early orders allow growers to get their
favorite hybrids, seed sizes and the delivery time they request.
®™Mycogen and the Mycogen M
Logo are trademarks of Mycogen Corporation.
®™ Cruiser, Cruiser DM, Dynasty, Apron Maxx, Apron XL and Maxim
are trademarks of Syngenta Crop Protection Inc.
*Cruiser DM Pak is a seed
company applied promotion combination of four separately
registered products - Cruiser, Dynasty, Apron XL and Maxim 4FS.
Refer to the Cruiser DM Pak
seed treatment on the seed bag tag for restrictions on planting
Cruiser-treated seed.
©2005 Mycogen Seeds.
Mycogen Seeds is an affiliate of
Dow AgroSciences LLC. |