AgroPages-Verdesian to offer zinc seed treatment product Tuxedo Cereals-Agricultural news

Verdesian Life Sciences has developed a micronutrient seed treatment, Tuxedo Cereals, to meet wheat crop needs for zinc.

The majority of U.S. winter wheat growing areas have soils that test below 0.75 parts per million (ppm) of available zinc content. University testing and research by private companies show wheat crops in these widespread soil conditions respond with an economically significant yield response to practices that make more zinc available, according to a company report.

Micronutrient deficiency can prevent the crop from reaching its full yield potential. “It is well known that wheat with adequate zinc displays stronger emergence, faster stand establishment, healthier root growth, greater plant vigor, and increased yield potential,” says Ryan Bond, vice president of marketing and product development for Verdesian Life Sciences.

Tuxedo Cereals seed treatment from Verdesian allows wheat growers to meet the wheat crop’s zinc requirement with a simple addition to the wheat planting process, according to a company report.

The polymer technology protects zinc from chemically bonding with other compounds and minerals commonly present in the soil. “You may have heard about the problem of soil binding with other micronutrient delivery techniques,” Bond says. “This is not the case with the technology in Tuxedo — and it allows for a lower, more economical application rate than other methods.”

Soil-applied zinc offers more consistent yield response than foliar applications, says Bond.