Field evaluation of one seed treatment inducing multiple agronomic responses from emergence to yield
Term: 3 years, beginning in 2017
Status: Complete (CLICK HERE for the performance story)
Funding Amount: $ 106,893
Lead Researcher(s): Karen Tanino, University of Saskatchewan
Funding Partners: Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture - Agriculture Development Fund (ADF)
Project Description
This project builds on the findings from a previous ADF project on the positive effect of recently developed, inexpensive, one-time seed treatment on early seed germination, seedling establishment and enhanced root development in spring. These are the critical factors for increasing yield through advanced flowering and avoidance of heat/drought stress in mid-summer in multiple crops. Advanced maturity also enables avoidance of frosts which can occur prior to harvest. However, field-based assessments have not been conducted yet and thus, this project will evaluate seed treatment effects under field conditions for multiple agronomic responses.
The catalytic seed treatment inducing Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), based on known natural biochemical reactions occurring within the plant, is one of the few examples where basic, fundamental biochemical/physiological mechanisms has real potential to be translated to the field with impact across a range of crops as well as abiotic and biotic stress environments. The effect of seed treatment on increasing lateral root mass across a range of crops including wheat which will be assessed using root imaging techniques. Seed treatment delivery systems is a critical aspect, which will be expanded in this project with Ag Growth International (Storm Seeder) and BASF.
The seed treatment will be evaluated to determine: the enhancement of crop germination under the cool soil conditions of spring; the rate of increase in establishment through significantly enhanced lateral and tertiary root initiation and production; the development and advancement in plant growth leading to increased crop yields, and to assess if on-farm spray application will show the germination and plant development effect as observed under controlled environment phytotron conditions.
By testing the seed treatment in the field as well as incorporating current on-farm treatment methods (Storm Seeder), this project will evaluate the seed treatment under farm field conditions and practices. The seed treatment is anticipated to reduce the risk to crop production caused by environmental stresses.