As the use of treated seed is becoming more popular - work is being done to ensure the technology remains effective.
Andy LaVigne, president of the American Seed Trade Association working with grower associations on the stewardship of treated seed.
"There may be some excess dusts with the seeds rubbing together whether it is in the planter box or somewhere else," he says. "We want to know: How do you minimize the dust so it doesn't carry or drift anywhere off of your target areas? We want to make sure it doesn't have an adverse effect on anything in the environment or pollinators."
So what do growers do with their unused seed?
"Some seed companies will take it back, some work with farmers that will take it to a facility so it can be burned for energy, and some farmers bury it a low-level so it doesn't germinate and doesn't grow," he says.
But - LaVigne adds the technology in treated seed is so precise - when a farmer knows how many acres are going to be planted and at what rate - there shouldn't be much seed left over.
The American Seed Trade Association will soon launch its Seed Treatment Stewardship guide website, www.seed-treatment-guide.com
Source: brownfieldagnews.com