Compatibility of Soybean Fungicide Seed Treatments with Inoculants
Most soybean producers know that bacterial seed inoculants need to be
handled with care to maintain viability of the living Rhizobia
bacteria.
This means keeping the product cool, moist, out of the sunlight,
and applying the product to the seed no more than four hours before
planting.
An issue that always seems to be raised at winter crop production
meetings is that of the compatibility of seed inoculant with seed
fungicide treatments.
The compatibility of inoculants with seed applied fungicide
treatments is an important issue.
Most all fungicide seed treatments will have a detrimental effect
of the health of Rhizobia.
Some inoculant labels will list their compatibility with popular
fungicide treatments.
Compatibility rating categories may include: Compatible, Marginally
Compatible, or Incompatible and may include results of in-field or lab
testing.
Only Fully Compatible treatment combinations should be considered.
John Gaska, UW Extension Soybean Outreach Specialist, recommends
the following general rules for applying inoculants in conjunction with
seed treatments: 1.
Unless strong compatibility is indicated by the inoculant label,
in-furrow application of inoculants will give the best result when seed
treatments are used. 2.
When inoculants and seed treatments are used together, keep the
exposure time to a minimum.
Usually less than 4 hours is best.
Re-apply inoculant if the seed has been treated over 4 hours and
not planted yet. 3.
If the chemical seed treatment is a liquid, apply it first, allow
it to dry, and then apply the inoculant.
Some inoculants are labeled to be tank mixed and applied at the
same time as the seed treatment, but check label first for instructions. A new soybean fungicide treatment called ApronMAXX RTA has been introduced to the market for use this spring. It’s mentioned here because the company reports that it is safe to mix with the Rhizobium in Cell-Tech2000. If true, this offers the opportunity to apply both the fungicide and inoculant in a single step. However, the mixture must still be applied to the seed within four hours and planting (after the mixture is placed on the seed) must take place within 24 hours
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