BioLogic Proving Grounds: Final Forage with Nitro Coat

Seed germination and seedling survival are obviously vital to successful planting. One reason for planting failure is seedling death due to lack of moisture after the seed has germinated. This can happen when there is enough soil moisture to swell the seed and start the germination process and then a period of dry weather occurs, or the seed is planted into very dry soil and receives a light rain, good enough to start germination, but then followed by a period of drought. Either situation is tough to actually see and diagnose and often the seed is blamed for being bad or old. We wanted to develop a coating for a new blend of radish, forage turnips, and forage rape called “Final Forage” that would help seedlings develop roots faster to help overcome drought, stress, or a low fertility situation. Final Forage is the first seed blend to utilize our “Nitro Coat” seed coating. The highly visible blue seed coating contains a blend of macronutrients and endomycorrhizal fungi. These help to form a symbiotic relationship with the plant which will scavenge important nutrients from the soil, such as phosphorous, which is critical for root development. The argument against coated seeds has been “you are getting less seed per pound versus raw seed due to the coating.” We plan to offer it in both forms, but trials are showing the benefits of properly coated seed outweigh using higher rates of raw, untreated seed. The larger size of the seeds after coating also makes spreading small seeds like brassica or clover easier and provides more consistent distribution across the seed bed.

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