Comparison between Seed and Foliar Treatment as a Tool in Integrated Pest Management

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Environmental Chemistry
• Pest Management

Background:

• Plant protection products are crucial for crop yield and quality.
• Seed treatments and foliar applications are common methods for delivering active substances.
• Understanding the environmental load of active substances is vital for sustainable agriculture.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the active substance release per hectare between seed treatments and foliar applications.
• To evaluate the environmental implications of different application methods for fungicides and insecticides.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study was conducted in the European Union.
• Doses of seed treatments and foliar plant protection products with identical active substances were analyzed.
• Pest control efficacy and active substance release per hectare were key metrics.

Main Results:

• Fungicide seed treatments resulted in significantly lower active substance release per hectare (8-fold or higher in 11 of 13 cases) compared to foliar treatments.
• Insecticide seed treatments generally showed several times higher active substance consumption than foliar applications.
• One case of higher active substance consumption was noted for foliar insecticide application.

Conclusions:

• Seed treatment is an environmentally favorable application method for fungicides regarding active substance release.
• The choice of application method (seed vs. foliar) has a substantial impact on active substance load, varying by pesticide type.
• Further research into optimized application strategies for insecticides is warranted.