Canola Seed Treatment Overview

Seed treatments play an essential role in helping canola establish a strong, healthy stand by protecting young plants from early-season insects and disease pressures. The right combination of seed-applied products supports rapid, uniform germination and helps canola move more quickly into growth stages where it can outgrow stress.  
 
Understanding what each seed treatment provides — and how it performs under different field conditions — can help growers make informed decisions that set their crop up for success. 

BrettYoung Canola Hybrid Base Seed Treatments 

Base Treatment Overview 

BrettYoung canola hybrids have a base treatment of Helix® Saltro® with optional add-on treatments of Fortenza®, Fortenza® Advanced, and BUTEO® start. 

What Helix® Saltro® Provides 

Helix Saltro combines the strengths of five different fungicides to protect your canola plants from soil-borne, air-borne, and seed-borne diseases, while Thiamethoxam protects against flea beetles. ADEPIDYN® is one of the actives in Saltro, which is exceptionally good at protecting canola from airborne blackleg and works alongside the blackleg resistance genetics of the canola hybrid. 

Expert Insight on Base Protection 

“Helix Saltro is our base as it includes protection against striped and crucifer flea beetles and seedling diseases like Rhizoctonia, Fusarium, Pythium, and seedling disease complex,” said BrettYoung Agronomic and Regulatory Services Manager, Justine Cornelsen. “The addition of ADEPIDYN provides that protection at the critical window for blackleg disease development.” 

Disease Pressure and Environmental Conditions 

The diversity of fungicide actives helps to ensure levels of protection no matter the growing conditions, as different seedling diseases thrive in different environments. Cold, damp soils favour Pythium species, while loose, cold, dry and well-worked soils favour Rhizoctonia solani, and wet, heavy soils favour Fusarium species. 

Importance of Seedbed Conditions 

Soil-borne pathogens can sneak through the fungicide seed treatments when seed sits beneath the soil surface for an extended period without germinating, or it has germinated and takes a long time to reach sunlight. That’s why Cornelsen said it’s best to have seed placed into a warm, moist seedbed to allow for quick and uniform germination. 

Early Growth Advantages 

“The quicker the plant reaches into the leaf stages the better, as the root and hypocotyl tissue harden to minimize seedling disease stress,” she said. “But also, the plant has moved past the damaging flea beetle feeding stage.” 

Scouting and Feeding Dynamics 

Once the plants push through the 2nd leaf stage, they typically can outgrow the damage from flea beetles but actively scouting and assessing feeding damage is crucial for staying on top of the situation. Cornelsen added it’s also important to remember some flea beetle feeding needs to occur to allow the beetles to ingest some of the insecticides from the seed treatment. 

The Add-Ons

BrettYoung also offers Fortenza, Fortenza Advanced and BUTEO start as add-on seed treatment options. 

• Fortenza Advanced: Provides growers with protection from flea beetle and cutworm damage by combining the insecticides sulfoxaflor and cyantraniliprole.   
• Fortenza: Is the cyantraniliprole ingredient alone, providing control for cutworms.   
• BUTEO start: Contains flupyradifurone, a group 4D insecticide, that protects against flea beetles. The active ingredient has rapid uptake and systemic translocation from cotyledon to leaf margins, so beetles ingest it as they feed.   

These seed treatments work well when the canola stand has a chance to thrive. Best management practices for a quick germination of canola will help alleviate stressors placed on the performance of seed treatments. Always refer to product labels and your provincial guide to crop protection. 

Helix Saltro 

• Active ingredients: Thiamethoxam, difenoconazole, metalaxyl-M, fludioxonil, sedaxane, and ADEPIDYN®   

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