“There is tremendous pressure to grow more food from less soil and less inputs. Agriculture therefore needs to intensify but it is imperative that this does not occur at the expense of the environment and soil health. The agricultural sector, including input suppliers and farmers alike, has an obligation to fight climate change in years to come. Farming must contribute to capturing more carbon.”

With these words, Prof Driekie Fourie, Product Biologist at Syngenta Seedcare South Africa, opened proceedings at the launch of the Seedcare Biolab recently. The event also celebrated the tenth year of Seedcare Institute Ngwenya in Brits leading seed-treatment innovation in South Africa.

Prof Driekie Fourie

The Syngenta Seedcare and Biologicals Biolab not only manufactures seed treatments; it is a source of valuable information on seed and soil health, and the many ways in which a harmonious balance can exist between nature and sustainable crop production.

“Our P-A-S offer, which indicates the  products, application and services in the Seedcare portfolio, offer our clients the very options to not only preserve soil health but improve it, while also supporting crops to achieve their yield potential,” Stefan Van Zyl, Syngenta Seedcare Business Manager for Africa and Middle East, pointed out.

Stefan van Zyl – Syngenta Seedcare

“At Syngenta we are passionate about co-creating solutions that add value to both the farmer’s and Syngenta’s businesses. Our ambition has always been to enable our customers’ investments to grow from seeds to young plants through innovation and collaboration,” he added.

Insects and soil pests pose significant challenges to farmers, threatening yields and crop quality by harming plants as well as opening pathways for diseases. The ability of insects to constantly evolve, coupled with the impact of climate change, has caused shifts in the insect spectrum that adds to performance pressure on farms. “Our novel seed treatment portfolio brings next-level sustainability in pest control as it offers farmers greater flexibility in farming decisions while promoting healthy plant establishment,” Van Zyl said.

The celebration at the Seedcare facilities in Brits included various presentations about the Biolab’s operations. During the lab visit, Wayne Jansen van Rensburg, Syngenta Seedcare Technology Manager, highlighted the research and tests that are carried out to ensure products that are of a high quality and address the needs of farmers. “We do visual biological compatibility testing, plantability testing and sustainability studies on nematodes, enzymes and mycorrhizae.”

Syngenta’s focus on sustainability was showcased by Andrew McNaught, Circular Economy Expert at Tandem Circular Economy Consultants, when he introduced guests to the recently installed Héliosec® wastewater management system. Héliosec® is a French invention designed to contain and then concentrate pesticide waste for disposal using evaporation. This method minimises the risks of soil and water contamination in a safe, compliant and efficient manner.

The system consists of a roofed, galvanised and plastic-lined steel frame in which wind and sunlight causes water contaminated with pesticides to evaporate. “The lining captures the concentrated pesticide residue,” McNaught explained. “The system ensures sustainability by reducing the waste volume by 95%.”

Prof Fourie highlighted the importance of soil health in agriculture today. “Soil is a critical and scarce resource from which life and food originate. We only have a limited amount of suitable land available for the agriculture required to feed people. It is therefore critical to keep this precious resource healthy. Poor soil health affects the entire production cycle of crops and livestock,” she emphasised.

Soil needs to be healthy to ‘stay alive’ and to fulfil its role in nature. “Healthy soils maintain a diverse community of soil organisms that control diseases, insects and weeds and form beneficial symbiotic associations with plant roots to provide the crop plant with essential nutrients. They also improve soil structure and ultimately the soil’s ability to sustain crop production,” she pointed out.

She mentioned that one tablespoon of healthy soil may contains approximately 50 billion microbes, hundreds to thousands of nematodes and many other soil-borne organisms. A balanced soil microbiome is a prerequisite for healthy soils and sustainable farming.  “When pathogenic microorganisms dominate in crop rhizospheres soil becomes unhealthy and this can lead to diseased and unhealthy plants that cannot make optimal use of water and nutrients. This results in lower yields or grain or fruit quality,” Prof Fourie explained.

The take-home message, she said, was that in an evolving agricultural landscape, farmers need support to farm sustainably under changing climatic conditions.

Prof Fourie added that seed treatments must be part of an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy as it gives the seed the best possible start. “It is not a silver bullet but part of the strategy that offers four to six weeks’ protection and assists with the establishing of strong roots.”

“Seed treatment is all about reducing risk,” Van Zyl said. “Seed treatments provide your crop with the best start possible. Soil- and seedborne pathogens can reduce yield quantity and quality, but seed treatment can protect crop seedlings from pathogen attacks at emergence and during the early growth stages, contributing to healthy plants and good yields.

“Seed treatments are also more environmentally friendly, as they carry less active ingredient per ha than other crop-protection products. For example, with granule or in-furrow applications, the application rate of an active ingredient per ha can be up to 10 times higher than with a seed treatment.

“Our technologies enable millions of farmers around the world to make better use of limited agricultural resources,” concluded Van Zyl.