Seed treatment

Seed treatment applies protective substances to seeds before planting to reduce damage from pathogens, insects, or other hazards during germination and early growth.

Seed coating: A layer of material applied to seeds to carry protectants, nutrients, or other substances. Coatings deliver treatment ingredients evenly and can improve handling during planting.
Systemic pesticide: A pesticide absorbed and transported within a plant, where it can affect pests feeding on treated tissues. Systemic active ingredients can move from treated seed into growing tissues.
Seed-borne disease: A plant disease transmitted by pathogens carried on or within seeds. Treatments can reduce pathogens that travel into fields with planting seed.
Neonicotinoid: A class of insecticides that acts on insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Neonicotinoids became widely used as seed-applied insecticides and raised concerns about pollinators.
Seed dressing: A surface treatment that applies pesticides or other protective materials directly to seeds. This common treatment method places fungicides or insecticides on the seed surface.
Contact pesticide: A pesticide that acts on pests or pathogens when it directly contacts them. Contact products remain dependent on direct exposure rather than movement through the plant.
Seedling disease: Disease affecting seeds during germination or young plants shortly after emergence. The vulnerable germination and emergence period is a central target of seed protection.
Pollinator decline: A reduction in the abundance or diversity of animals that pollinate flowering plants. Dust and residues from some treated seeds can expose pollinators to insecticides.
Seed inoculation: The application of beneficial microorganisms to seeds before planting. Inoculants such as nitrogen-fixing bacteria protect or support crops through biological partnerships.
Active ingredient: The component of a pesticide or other product responsible for its intended biological effect. Its identity and dose determine the treatment's target and biological action.

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