Biological seed treatment solutions see growing acceptance — Interview with Pedro Rugeroni, Seed Association of the Americas

AgroPages had the opportunity to connect with Pedro Rugeroni, Senior Advisor in Seed Applied Technologies at Seed Association of the Americas (SAA), and discuss with him the seed treatment topic, due to the media partner invitation offered by the organizing committee of the 2022 SAA Congress. In our conversation, Pedro explained the major changes within and outside the seed treatment industry and what trends to watch for in the future.

Biological seed treatment solutions and products are becoming more and more common. According to your knowledge, how much market share can biological solutions occupy in the seed treatment sector? 

Biological solutions have a growing acceptance; the global market shows a consistent growth of over 16% per year, although adoption in Seed Treatment market for field crops is substantially greater. Legumes, through inoculation and nitrogen fixation, have the highest adoption percentage with values that exceed 70%, and in certain regions such as Argentina where this growth exceeds 85%.

During past years’ different acquisitions of local companies by multinationals have taken place. Many new players launched many new products. 

An increasing number of local and foreign companies compete as they see South America as a key biological growth market.

What is the market performance of this kind of product? 

Over the years, more and more producers are including different biological solutions seeking more excellent initial and better growth, improving general aspects from the initial stages of the crop. 

Biologically synthesized nematicides and fungicides are already a reality and are gaining more and more ground in modern agriculture, fundamentally replacing or complementing traditional chemicals. 

Biologicals have different mechanisms of action that lead to protection and improve crop performance for longer and with reduced risk of resistance. 

More companies are investing in R&D, achieving formulations of great quality that allows them to be applied efficiently from seedbeds to professional seed treatment facilities and on the farm.

How well do farmers accept such products? How about the return on investment for farmers? 

More farmers adopt this technology due to an increasing demand from society to produce food with environmentally friendly inputs, but also due to reduction in the overall application in initial stages and even throughout the development of the crop.

The increase in the natural defenses of the plants, the greater volume of root exploration and its great initial growth are concepts that take production with biologicals to another level and finally, these attributes end up in the balance with increases in yield performance. 

As an example, the addition biological fungicide based on Trichoderma harzianum, produces yield increases of over 3% when applied to the wheat seed and more than 2.2% to soybean seed. Initial investment equivalent to 30 to 40 kg of seed can generate increases in the yield that exceeds 300 kg and up to 600 to 850 kg depending on the crop using this technology. 

Different mechanisms of control, technological advances in formulation that guarantee ease of application and higher yields are reasons for the farmer to adopt biological inputs.

Latin America has become a critical region driving the demand for seed treatment solutions. What are the current characteristics of the seed treatment industry in this region? 

The best way to ensure a great start for young plants is using an effective seed treatment process. On top of excellent efficacy, seed treatment has a built-in sustainability profile due to low rates and precise application when applied professionally. 

LATAM has had significant growth in the seed treatment market and professional seed processing facilities. 

Nevertheless, there is still work to be done to reduce significant differences in technology adoption between countries. On farm seed treatment has and will continue to play an important role in agriculture to protect plants and the farmer’s yield. 

New technologies are used in this environment which makes recipes, polymers, machineries and services an enormous difference in farmer’s experience. Seed Treatment is one of the most important contributors to extracting the most out of sophisticated seeds genetics through a successful plant establishment. The care for those seeds and farmer’s passion for it explains the rising technology and popularity of seed treatment in LATAM.

Please introduce the Seed Association of the Americas. What is the SAA’s main work in the seed treatment sector? 

SAA is a non-governmental organization that represents the interests of the seed industry in the Americas. Our mission is to promote and facilitate the seed business and trade in the Americas and globally. Our pillars include Phytosanitary Matters; Biotechnology; Seed Applied Technologies and Intellectual Property.

In the Seed Treatment group, we promote the adoption of different Seed Applied Technologies that prevent early losses in crops due to diseases and soil pests, we advocate for treatments that follow Best Practices Protocols taking special care of the environment, health, safety and well-being of operators and growers. 

The Seed Treatment Working Group promotes harmonized labeling, legislation, and regulations and the application of seed treatment products in professional seed treatment facilities.

What new industry trends in seed treatment in the Americas do you think are worth watching for in the future? 

In a world of constant evolution, our area of Seed Applied Technologies is not an exception. But clearly the trend is in the defense of the environment and health and wellbeing of the operators and farmers.

On the Regulatory area: Traditional and very effective active ingredients are losing their patent and new ai’s are reaching the seed treatment market. 

This is a big challenge due to countries’ different timelines in regulatory processes, protocols and eventual approvals. Aligning protocols to facilitate treated seed trade is part of our daily challenges. 

As for the products: The industry is investing heavily in effective more friendly chemicals and Biologicals, all oriented to protect the environment and the operators. We can say that there is a consensus that the best protection for the seed will come from a complementary action between traditional chemistry and biologicals. 

As for Equipment: No doubt that the focus in modern technologies and automatization of professional seed treatment facilities has taken the lead; highly sophisticated equipment guarantees the best treatment to obtain the highest protection of the seed against early diseases and soil pests, to assure that the grower can obtain maximum potential of the best seed. 

All these topics will be addressed in our 2022 SAA Congress to take place in Punta del Este; Uruguay from September 26 to 28, it would be great pleasure to meet you all. 

Our link: www.saaseed.org

This article was initially published in AgroPages' '2022 Seed Treatment Special' magazine.