With the potential for another wet start to the planting season, the seed being used for this year’s planting may be impacted with a number of issues such as water stress (either too much or perhaps too little), insects or diseases.
Sylas-ST, a new super-concentrated biological seed treatment from UPL, can help seed overcome these stresses by stimulating rapid germination and crop growth, helping to improve root and shoot biomass and helping the seedling manage water stress and nutrient uptake from the soil.
Neil Innes, biosolutions manager for UPL Australia, said the new seed treatment works well in combination with Zincflo Plus and Rancona Dimension – a combination they refer to as STartUP – to help get cereal crops off to a flying start.
Mr Innes said Sylas-ST is produced in the UPL factory at St Malo, in north-west France. “When applied to seeds this concentrated extract stimulates natural processes to enhance nutrient and water uptake, nutrient use efficiency and tolerance to weather stresses for better crop performance.”
Sylas-ST improves the benefits of Ascophyllum nodosum (natural seaweed) through the patented extraction and filtration of this raw material, delivering a super concentrated seed treatment for broadacre growers.
Mr Innes said the super concentrate contains up to 26 different plant growth promoting (PGP) hormones. It is the synergy between each of these, rather than the levels of individual PGP hormones, that delivers the benefit.
“The most concentrated forms of these PGP’s have been harnessed to create a compatible and low-dose form, patenting this process under cool temperature conditions without harsh additives of heat, acids or alkalis,” Mr Innes said.
“The result is a highly concentrated product with very low application rate on seed, that is compatible with other seed treatments – and that won’t clog equipment.”
The biologically active PGP molecules within Sylas-ST stimulate the production of enzymes within the plant to increase moisture- and nutrient-use efficiency. Facilitating water regulation, movement and uptake in the plant enables rapid germination, and the development of an early vigorous root system.
UPL has been trialling Sylas-ST extensively in Australia. At the time of writing, 2022 trials are awaiting final yield results, however Mr Innes said early indications are that Sylas-ST is performing well compared to untreated plots, with an application at 1 L/t showing increases in plant establishment and root biomass.
“Large root systems increase both root mass and depth of access, thereby improving the ability of plants to access water and nutrients, better utilising N, P and K, which can also help minimise fertiliser over-expenditure,” Mr Innes said.
“Sylas-ST is highly concentrated, leading to a very low application rate on seed. It’s compatible with other seed treatments and it won’t clog your equipment, making it easy and economical to use. It is also a NASAA certified input for organic cropping.”
UPL recommends using Zincflo Plus also to help the seedling maximise the uptake of micronutrients such as zinc – an essential micronutrient that enhances disease resistance and improves plant vigour.
With the crop off to a healthy start with the needed nutrients, Mr Innes said it’s also important to protect the crop from yield-robbing disease.
“Using Rancona Dimension seed treatment protects against crown rot, rhizoctonia, pythium, smuts and bunt, in an easy-to-use formulation with minimal dust-off during application and handling.
“The STartUP seed treatment combination of Sylas-ST, Zincflo Plus and Rancona Dimension can assist grain growers optimise seed establishment and growth, as well as protect against yield robbing disease next season,” he said.
