The Most Robust Defense for SWM, SDS & SCN with Heads Up®, Saltro®, and Trunemco™

WEST POINT, IOWA - Wouldn’t you like to know how deep the water is before you dive in? Joe Merschman, President and CEO of Merschman Seeds does. There’s a new technology on the market when it comes to pest and pathogen detection. DNA soil sampling has allowed farmers to see how deep that water is on their farm. Merschman Seeds has explored this technology and found that the following diseases are showing more elevated levels than what farmers and retailers previously expected.

Your heavy yield-robbing hitters like Soybean Cyst Nematode and Sudden Death Syndrome levels now can be measured as low, medium, and high threat levels, as well as pythium, phytophthora, brown stem rot, white mold and many others. The old saying goes, if it can be measured, it can be managed. “Farming is such an expensive business, and there’s so many options you can spend your money on, wouldn’t it be nice to know that when you are spending your money, you are going to get a return,” said Joe Merschman.

Knowing your soil at a biological level allows the farmer to make an informed decision when choosing seed varieties as well as seed treatments. “When we know the problems out in the field, prior to purchasing seed, we can get some additional yield for the farmers. We have the genetics paired with seed treatment to address the problems in the field.” Ben Pieper, Merschman Seeds Product Manager and Agronomist.

These yield-robbing pests are managed using Merschman Seeds Starting Line soybean seed treatment. It is one of the most comprehensive seed treatments on the market. Combined from six different suppliers, it has four fungicides and an insecticide, paired with Heads Up® (biological) for white mold and as an added bonus, a biostimulant, Tripidity ST.

An industry seed treatment expert evaluated Merschman Seeds Starting Line seed treatment and found that “Merschman Seeds is very transparent about what they offer. When you have this level of transparency, it goes to show there’s nothing to hide, no gaps to find, it is the best of the best in all categories. Typically, I will do a competitive analysis of other soybean seed treatments, and there was no competition. Starting Line wins in every single category.”

There’s a reoccurring theme when talking about Merschman Seeds Starting Line soybean seed treatment, and that is dual modes of action. Using dual modes of action is the only way to achieve consistency and efficacy, and that is exactly the name of the game for Starting Line Seed Treatment.

The cornerstone that makes Starting Line soybean seed treatment uniquely different than the rest is the biostimulant, Tripidity ST. Ben Pieper tells us why, “Our biostimulant is dual mode of action, combining hard chemistry with a nutritional product at the cellular level. Everything is right there when the plant needs it. When you put the hormones on the seed, it must respond with increased growth. Then, the nutritional package is right there to immediately feed that response. There are no limiting factors those first few days after planting, giving you faster, more even emergence, every time.” These levels of consistency and efficacy in Merschman Seeds Starting Line seed treatment are created because of Tripidity ST. It is the base to adding biologicals to a seed treatment because biologicals have a reputation of being very inconsistent.

Merschman Seeds Starting Line seed treatment allows the farmer to manage another devastating disease in soybean fields, in particular white mold. “At Merschman Seeds we know managing white mold is a reoccurring issue that doesn’t go away, and if not managed can be devastating to the farmer. That’s why we added Heads Up as a part of our standard soybean treatment. Heads Up is a very specific mode of action to fight off white mold. We know the more specific a mode of action is the more robust it works. You can see Heads Up working right to the row, it’s incredible. That’s why we brought it into our standard seed treatment package, it will pick up more yield for the farmer.” Said Ben Pieper, Merschman Seeds Product Manager and Agronomist.

Pieper explains how Heads Up is so powerful against white mold and also shows some activity against SDS, pythium and rhizoctonia, “Heads Up turns on genes in actively growing tissue throughout the life of the plant that make oxalic acid oxidase, an enzyme which dissolves oxalic acid. White mold uses oxalic acid to penetrate the plant cell wall. The oxidase enzyme the plant is making completely blocks oxalic acid from getting into the plant. Because of this, Heads up is providing season-long control anywhere there is actively growing tissue, white mold will not be able to get into the plant. Other fungi like pythium, rhizoctonia and SDS use oxalic acid to get into the plant, but also use other acids as well. This is why you will see some activity on SDS and other fungi, but it (Heads Up) is not a solution for SDS like it is for white mold.”

The other yield-robbing, heavy hitting diseases that are difficult for a farmer to manage in a soybean field are Sudden Death Syndrome and Soybean Cyst Nematodes. Enter, Merschman Seeds Starting Line Plus soybean seed treatment.

“Starting Line Plus has all the benefits of the standard Starting Line seed treatment, Plus protection against Sudden Death Syndrome and Soybean Cyst Nematodes using Saltro and Trunemco.” Said Joe Merschman. “Farmers may have Soybean Cyst Nematodes and Sudden Death Syndrome out in their field and don’t know it. By getting that added protection using Starting Line Plus, we’ve removed the cap on soybean yields these diseases cause on the farm.” Said Ben Pieper, Product Manager and Agronomist at Merschman Seeds.

Soybean Cyst Nematodes are a major issue, the most basic symptom of SCN is yield loss. Take a look at the geographic distribution map of Soybean Cyst Nematodes from 2020. Ben Pieper states, “If you don’t think you have nematodes on your farm, you aren’t testing for them. It may be a patch or two in fields, whether identifiable to the naked eye or not, but they are pretty chronic and widespread.” Trunemco is the only nematicide that is dual mode of action on the market. It is a seed applied nematicide containing a biological organism (bacteria) paired with hard chemistry. It is very specific to activity on nematodes. Ben Pieper explains, “Dual Mode of action (in Trunemco) provides a level of consistency and efficacy that you know it is going to work. You are not hoping the bug wakes up, or it doesn’t get too cold for it to work.” Pieper further explains how Trunemco works, “It works so well because it prevents the plant from making as many of the cysts that the nematodes need to lay their eggs on to reproduce. The plant will still make cysts, but not as many. Less eggs from nematodes equals less lesions on the plant which equals more yield for the Farmer.”

The final piece of Starting Line Plus protects your field from Sudden Death Syndrome. Nothing beats Saltro on SDS. This is a true fungicide that is designed to go after fusarium. “Saltro is not antagonistic to your soybean plant like Ilevo is; there’s no seed safety issues and no halo effect,” said Joe Merschman, President and CEO Merschman Seeds. Saltro also shows to have some activity against nematodes. Another unique component to note about Starting Line Plus is when Saltro is paired with Heads Up, a specific mode of action against white mold, the combination provides two modes of action against SDS giving the plant season-long control.

In summary, Merschman Seeds Starting Line and Starting Line Plus seed treatments are the best. Ben Pieper, Product Manager and Agronomist from Merschman Seeds states, “You are getting your investment back with our seed treatment. No one else is doing anything like this in the industry. We are providing multiple layers of protection for the soybean seed that is consistent and efficacious. We care about the farmer and their profitability and that is why we have the best seed treatment on the market.”