DEI joins fight against sudden death syndrome in soybeans with new biological seed treatment

American soybean growers will now have a new EPA-registered seed treatment option for guarding crops from sudden death syndrome (SDS) and improving their yields, and it will be distributed by Direct Enterprises, Inc. (DEI), the Indiana-based seed treatment experts.

“We’re pleased to be the first to bring CeraMax^® biological seed treatment to American farmers,” says Bill Haubner, DEI co-founder and president, in announcing the new product’s availability. “CeraMax is the tool today’s soybean producers need in the war against Fusarium, the fungal disease causing SDS.”

Containing the active ingredient Natamycin, CeraMax empowers the genetic potential of soybean seeds to increase early-season vigor for strong, uniform emergence and maximum yield potential, according to research findings. Haubner says DEI sought to add CeraMax to its 2021 seed treatment lineup after seeing recent field trial results.

Discovered and manufactured by Ceradis Crop Protection B.V., product development studies and field research trials have been completed over the last four years throughout the Midwest to evaluate CeraMax performance.

“Field trials showed soybeans treated with the addition of CeraMax to Acceleron^® Standard to have lower incidence of SDS while gaining an average increase in yield by 4.3 bushels per acre when compared to using Acceleron Standard alone,” says Haubner. “Phytotoxicity data also showed no signs of soybean seedling stress from plants treated with CeraMax. In that same trial, soybean plants from ILEVO-treated seed showed signs of Halo Effect and necrosis for the majority of seedlings across 15 plots.”

DEI is well known for their custom seed treatment blends of hard chemistry, growth promotors and flowability agents, as well as their multi-strained Brady Rhizobia inoculant N-Force™. The company expects to place 20,000 units of the new CeraMax biological seed treatment in a variety of growing conditions throughout soybean producing areas hit hardest by SDS in years just past.

“We’ve seen the heartache SDS has brought U.S. soybean farmers, and in our opinion, CeraMax is an effective, yield-enhancing alternative with an environmental stewardship benefit,” says Dennis Tauchen, DEI co-founder and COO.

After further evaluating this new biological seed treatment in their own DEI field trials during 2020, both Haubner and Tauchen believe adding CeraMax to their portfolio to be the right decision for their company and its customers.

“Farmers in the U.S.A. are under pressure by regulators and consumers to move to biological products, but they also wish to keep their yield in doing so,” says Willem-Jan Meulemeesters, CEO of Ceradis. “Now, with CeraMax, farmers can achieve both.”

Meulemeesters says CeraMax is another example of Ceradis’ green innovations – technology to help reduce chemical pesticides. “We are fully committed to making CeraMax a success in the U.S. with our partners at DEI.”