The Environmental Protection Agency recently registered NemaStrike Technology seed treatment to control several plant parasitic nematodes that attack field crops.
The product, labeled for soybeans, corn and cotton, will be launched in time for the 2018 use season, pending state approvals.
With the active ingredient tioxazafen, NemaStrike will be offered as part of Monsanto’s Acceleron seed treatment package. Tioxazafen provides broad-spectrum protection in the root zone, where nematodes live, according to a news release. In addition to feeding on roots, several nematode species also spread plant diseases.
During the past three years, Monsanto has conducted field trials with the product, according to the news release. NemaStrike-treated corn plots yielded an average of 7 bushels per acre more than the competitor with a 73 percent positive response rate.
In soybeans, NemaStrike-treated plots yielded an average of 3 bushels per acre more than the competitor with a 68 percent positive response rate in soybeans. In cotton, treated plots yielded 80 pounds more lint per acre compared to the competitor with an 86 percent positive response rate.