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Regardless of their role, specialization or location, every member of the global agricultural industry is focused on a singular goal: optimizing crop yields. The need to feed a world that’s growing at a rate of 132 million births each year1 requires the attention of every stakeholder in the agricultural process.
While growers, who have the biggest job on earth, must continually find new ways to maximize their production, they are also facing another challenge: protecting their farm’s future.
Over the past 60 years, exponential growth in agricultural output has placed mounting pressure on farmland— even as arable land has expanded by 7.6% and irrigated acreage has doubled.2 Growers like third-generation U.S. soybean and corn grower, Evan Schaefer, must strike a careful balance between meeting ambitious yield targets and maintaining long-term operational viability.
I use BASF seed treatments as an insurance policy against adversity. There are many environmental factors that can affect the seed — whether it’s diseases, insects or even weather conditions. With all the challenges that we face on the farm today, seed treatments are one piece that we can use to cover so many problems and ensure success later in the season. " - Evan Schaefer, 3rd Generation Grower, Ohio, USA |  |
On the farm, Evan uses:
Obvious® Plus to protect soybeans from soilborne and seedborne diseases.
ILEVO® for fields and varieties that have trouble with Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) and different nematode species.
Vault® IP Plus to improve nitrogen fixation in fields that have been in a corn-after-corn cycle or fields that have had poor nodulation in the past.
One shift in Evan’s farming approach illustrates this tension: planting soybeans in April rather than May. While earlier planting can boost yields, it also brings increased risk.
″We have to take into account that we need to protect our investment as we’re planting it,″ he said. ″With planting early, we’re planting into colder, wetter soils, so we have a whole new set of challenges. If we aren’t addressing issues early in the season, it has a huge impact on our bottom line late in the season.″
Evan and his operation rely heavily on BASF seed treatment products to directly address problems that arise from earlier planting, including combating and preventing soilborne fungi like Rhizoctonia, Fusarium and water molds, and managing pressures from nematodes and other pests.
″There’s a lot of growth potential in the new technologies available with seed treatments from BASF. The new modes of action we can apply ahead of planting protect both the seed and the plant, allowing us to meet each new challenge we see on the farm,″ said Evan.
″The problem-solving aspect of each seed treatment means that even in areas of a grower’s operation that are successful, we can look at how to increase consistency, find new ways to improve and make sure we’re meeting yield goals.″
For operations like Evan’s, innovative seed treatments aren’t a nice-to-have; they’re a critical part of his protection and crop health toolbox. Today’s growers need to increase yields on the same amount of cultivated land, both for food production and for their own profitability. Each new mode of action, active ingredient and novel application method that mitigates or eliminates a threat is another step toward achieving those goals.
Seed treatments are as much about managing risk as they are about creating opportunity. Without access to seed treatments, soybean growers could expect to see soybean yield losses between 6% and 10% on average, translating to thousands of dollars in lost operational revenue each year.3
In every region around the world, growers use seed treatments with the same objective in mind: protecting seeds at their earliest and most vulnerable stages. In addition, the exponential growth of technology in areas like GMOs and seed breeding has pushed the cost of seeds higher, making it even more important for growers to employ seed treatments to protect their investments. As the pressure increases on growers to deliver stronger yields, so does the pressure on seed treatments to perform at optimal levels.
It’s why Evan trusts BASF seed treatment products. With consumers, employees and his family relying on him and on his operation, he needs solutions that offer proven and consistent crop protection performance while also limiting negative impacts on the field and the environment.
While the BASF team is supporting operations like Evan’s with seed treatment products today, they are also connecting with and learning from growers to drive future innovations. The company actively integrates grower insights into product development efforts, ensuring new solutions are tailored to meet both existing and emerging agricultural needs. Stronger yields start with strong seed treatments, and more effective seed treatment innovations start with understanding grower challenges.
How BASF research helps growers stay ahead
Continuing to deliver seed treatments that outpace the rate of change in the environment and on the farm requires thorough research, specialized expertise and a commitment to continual improvement.
For Anna Chapman, Seed Treatment Technology Center Group Leader at BASF, success in research, testing and formulation is driven by an unwavering focus on the grower. With an intentional focus on meeting the needs of growers like Evan, Anna and her team can dive deep into current and future threats to yields in each crop system and prioritize solutions that meet them head on.
″Our team works to make sure every seed treated with our technology is primed for growth, with superior protection across the millions of acres our growers depend on,″ said Anna.
″This is made possible with expertly crafted formulations designed to deliver recipes precisely and safely for every seed.″
One of the secrets to success for Seed Treatment by BASF is the company’s approach to research and development. As Stephanie Jensen, BASF Vice President of Global Strategic Marketing, Insecticides and Seed Treatment, puts it, ″Seed treatment is an art and a science. There is a store of value in each individual component; the art is in how they are combined and work together on a single seed.″
For BASF, R&D is the very foundation on which the Seed Treatment portfolio is built. Every product and active ingredient BASF brings to market has been years in the making.
″Our ultimate objective is to help every seed reach its genetic potential,″ said Anna. ″From our work with beneficial microorganisms that protect crop seedlings and promote plant health, to innovating solutions that protect against the most challenging nematodes, to thoroughly understanding plant fungal pathology to provide critical disease protection, we carry this overarching goal across our entire R&D process.″
The rigorous research process itself, including cross-regional performance analysis, allows BASF to deliver treatments that go beyond surface level protection to help growers manage specific challenges and strengthen plants and stands. The combination of a proven process with deep internal expertise enables the BASF team to create the active ingredients and products that help growers stay ahead.
Within the broader seed treatment team, BASF also employs dedicated seed coatings and formulations teams, ensuring that each component of the product benefits from specialized expertise. From formulation chemists to application engineers to product stewards, members of the BASF team strengthen the connections between research, testing and performance.
Our seed treatments offer protection from soilborne damping off, root and stem rots and plant diseases such as Sudden Death Syndrome that turn potential harvests into a significant loss. Seed treatments also protect stands from insect pests and prevent yield loss from nematodes. Tools like ILEVO® and Obvious® Plus continue to revolutionize the power of soybean growers to protect their crop and maximize yields. We’re continually investing resources in discovering new active ingredients and improving product performance in seed treatment and beyond." - Anna Chapman, Seed Treatment Technology Group Leader, BASF |  |
Testing in the field continues to grow in importance, in parallel with the increase in the complexity of grower challenges. Two examples of difficult-to-manage challenges for soybean growers are soybean cyst nematodes (SCN), the microscopic roundworms that attack the roots of crops, and Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS), a disease caused by the soilborne fungus Fusarium virguliforme :
| As the number one yield-robbing pathogen of soybean crops in North America, SCN causes $1.5 billion USD in revenue losses annually.4 |  | Severe SDS can result in soybean yield losses greater than 50%.5 |
Adding to the complexity, SCN increase in hot and dry conditions, while SDS thrives in cool and wet conditions. The BASF team recognized the impact that these challenges were having on grower operations and yields and that, at the time, growers did not have access to a solution to help combat these issues.
The team went to work driving the development of formulations that would protect seeds and crops regardless of weather conditions. The result was ILEVO®, an innovative product that dramatically outperforms competitors in nematode control, protects against foliar and root rot phases of SDS in soybeans, produces strong stands and healthy roots and allows for earlier planting. SDS and SCN are only two of the many obstacles growers face in maintaining performance, and the BASF team works to help them meet each specific challenge. From new modes of action in early development to products coming soon to solutions available now, the focus is on innovation with intention and turning theory in the lab into performance on the farm.
BASF invests close to €1 billion annually into research and development. These investments in R&D power the discovery of new active ingredients, next-generation innovations and improvements in protection and plant health for seed treatments and beyond. It also allows BASF to provide more than a selection of independent products; R&D ensures that the solutions in the BASF portfolio work together, providing a toolkit for growers to use across a range of different needs. The company’s holistic crop system approach, taking into account the total crop rotation picture on a typical farm, is an example of this thinking in action. The approach aligns with how growers manage their farms, providing technologies and products that integrate with their operations and help them tackle the breadth of challenges individually and comprehensively across their fields.
Optimizing for today and tomorrow: solutions for sustainable performance
As the world population expands, climate change intensifies and new pest and disease pressures multiply, the impact of farming on the environment continues to grow in importance. For growers, whose land is also their livelihood, solutions that negatively impact the environment don’t have a place on the farm.
BASF takes that charge seriously, partnering with growers to find the right solutions that won’t sacrifice sustainability for performance, and vice versa. The company’s focus on sustainability and positive environmental impact across seed treatments and other products is one way BASF connects the work of Anna and her research team directly to Evan and growers like him. In addition to the rigorous performance and other testing each product must pass through to be approved for market, the BASF team employs stringent sustainability protocols as a key part of the research process.
The BASF team strives to be the most trusted and reliable partner for growers, helping them integrate sustainable farming practices. In seed treatment, this means extending the life and registrability of critical products, offering guidance on how to keep treatments where they belong (on the seed) and minimizing effects on the land through reduced foliar crop protection application and improved soil health.
Growers today want to be the best possible stewards of their land—seed treatments offer a way to support that stewardship while increasing yield potential. Sustainable seed solutions from BASF are designed to minimize environmental impact in multiple ways, including:
Reducing the use of microplastics with microplastic-free seed coatings like Sepiret®.
Increasing soil health with inoculants like Vault®, which cut back on the application of nitrogen fertilizers and decrease the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere.
Reducing the need for a full foliar spray application with products like Xemium®.
We evaluate every product in our portfolio and our pipeline against a set of independently audited and certified sustainability criteria. Our goal is to increase farming innovation and to continue to steer the industry toward an increasingly sustainable portfolio.″ - Nikki Cochrane, Global Strategic Marketing Manager, Seed Treatment Coatings, BASF |  |
Farming is nearly four times more productive today than it was in 19616, and there’s never been more pressure for agriculture to perform at peak levels. As growers take on the biggest job on Earth, they need the right support, science and products to not only maximize every yield, but also to protect their investments, their land and the long-term viability of their operations.
Seed Treatment by BASF helps every seed to reach its genetic potential, giving crops the healthy start they need to thrive throughout the growing season.
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References:
1 United Nations – Department of Economic and Social Affairs. World Fertility Report. 2024.
2 U.S. Department of Agriculture – Economic Research Service. Global Changes in Agricultural Production, Productivity, and Resource Use Over Six Decades. 2024.
3 American Seed Association: New Survey Highlights Farmer Adoption of Seed Treatment Applications. 2024
4 BASF. BASF unveils Nemasphere nematode resistance trait, the new standard of nematode management for soybean farmers. 2024.
5 University of Minnesota Extension. Sudden death syndrome on soybean. 2018.
6 U.S. Department of Agriculture – Economic Research Service. Global Changes in Agricultural Production, Productivity, and Resource Use Over Six Decades. 2024.
This story was initially published in the 2025 Seed Treatment Special. Download the magazine to read more stories.
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