Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
While seed treatments are often top of mind during spring planting, evaluating performance heading into harvest is critical for managing yield-robbing diseases and planning for the next crop year.
In this RealAg Radio product spotlight, Lyndsey Smith speaks with Michelle Wall, technical lead for Seedcare in Eastern Canada and head of the Syngenta Canada Seedcare Institute. Wall works out of the Honeywood Research Facility at Plattsville, Ontario, managing research trials and working to ensure Canadian growers achieve optimal results with Syngenta seed treatment products under local field conditions.
Reflecting on recent growing seasons in Eastern Canada, Wall says that early-season disease management sets the foundation for final crop performance. "Agriculture doesn't stop, so now is the time to reflect and see what you got out of your seed treatment when you planted or treated in the spring," says Wall. Cold, wet soil conditions early in the season foster water moulds like pythium and phytophthora, while extended seedling stage stress increases susceptibility to fusarium, rhizoctonia, sudden death syndrome (SDS), and soybean cyst nematode (SCN).
Quantifying these disease pressures highlights the economic risk to producers. Citing data from the Crop Protection Network, Wall notes that SCN alone was responsible for significant production losses in Ontario. "Last year, for example, soybean cyst nematode losses were almost half of the predicted soybean total losses, and they estimate that over 2 million bushels of soybeans were lost in Ontario just due to that pest," she says. SCN damage creates entry points for SDS, which accounted for over 1 million bushels lost, while standard soil-borne diseases claimed another million bushels.
To address these compounding threats, Syngenta introduced Victrato Complete soybean seed treatment. The broad-spectrum package combines Vayantis IV RFC with TYMIRIUM technology to target foundational diseases as well as SCN and SDS. "This gives you that all-in-one package that you don't have to worry about what your conditions are going to be in the spring because you know you've got all the boxes checked," adds Wall.
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While seed treatments are often top of mind during spring planting, evaluating performance heading into harvest is critical for managing yield-robbing diseases and planning for the next crop year.
In this RealAg Radio product spotlight, Lyndsey Smith speaks with Michelle Wall, technical lead for Seedcare in Eastern Canada and head of the Syngenta Canada Seedcare Institute. Wall works out of the Honeywood Research Facility at Plattsville, Ontario, managing research trials and working to ensure Canadian growers achieve optimal results with Syngenta seed treatment products under local field conditions.
Reflecting on recent growing seasons in Eastern Canada, Wall says that early-season disease management sets the foundation for final crop performance. "Agriculture doesn't stop, so now is the time to reflect and see what you got out of your seed treatment when you planted or treated in the spring," says Wall. Cold, wet soil conditions early in the season foster water moulds like pythium and phytophthora, while extended seedling stage stress increases susceptibility to fusarium, rhizoctonia, sudden death syndrome (SDS), and soybean cyst nematode (SCN).
Quantifying these disease pressures highlights the economic risk to producers. Citing data from the Crop Protection Network, Wall notes that SCN alone was responsible for significant production losses in Ontario. "Last year, for example, soybean cyst nematode losses were almost half of the predicted soybean total losses, and they estimate that over 2 million bushels of soybeans were lost in Ontario just due to that pest," she says. SCN damage creates entry points for SDS, which accounted for over 1 million bushels lost, while standard soil-borne diseases claimed another million bushels.
To address these compounding threats, Syngenta introduced Victrato Complete soybean seed treatment. The broad-spectrum package combines Vayantis IV RFC with TYMIRIUM technology to target foundational diseases as well as SCN and SDS. "This gives you that all-in-one package that you don't have to worry about what your conditions are going to be in the spring because you know you've got all the boxes checked," adds Wall.
Website: realagriculture.com
#agriculture #farming
Find us on our other social media platforms:
X/Twitter: twitter.com/realagriculture
Instagram: instagram.com/realagriculture
Facebook: facebook.com/realagmedia
