March 11, 2010

Ritzville area grower overcomes

dryland, wireworm challenges

Area grower Mike Miller of J.R. Miller Farms Inc. in Ritzville has found the key to success in increasing wheat yields in a typically lower-yielding, dryland area of the Pacific Northwest.

Miller has conducted multiple trials during the past several years to boost wheat yield and profit potential with seed treatments. He has worked extensively with Aaron Esser, WSU Extension.

“Mike is definitely one of the more progressive growers I’ve seen and is always looking for new ways to increase yields, which is not an easy task in this area,” Esser said. “He’s recently done a lot of trial work with seed treatments, particularly due to the extremely high wireworm pressure we’ve seen the past few years.”

Miller has seen positive results in terms of wireworm suppression and increased yields from his seed treatment trials, particularly with Cruiser® seed treatment insecticide from Syngenta Seed Care.

“Wireworms have really made their presence known the past three or four years,” Miller said. “Our job is to prevent them from damaging seedlings so we can produce a healthy crop. We’ve increased our rate of Cruiser within the labeled range to 1 oz/cwt to help combat heavier wireworm pressure, and plan to do the same on all our wheat acres for 2010.”

In addition to reduced wireworm pressure, Miller also saw quicker emergence, more vigorous plants and higher yields after opting for the higher labeled rate of Cruiser.

“Not only are we achieving wireworm suppression, but we’ve also seen the crop emerge up to three days faster,” Miller commented. “And in the trials we harvested in September 2009, we saw a 6.5-bushel-per-acre increase in fields where Cruiser was used at the 1 oz/cwt rate vs. untreated or Cruiser at the low rate.”

The quicker emergence can be attributed to the Thiamethoxam Vigor Effect of Cruiser. Years of studies have shown that under certain conditions, even in the absence of insect pressure, thiamethoxam helps produce a more uniform, vigorous stand, increasing both yield and profit potential. Ensuring young seedlings are as healthy as possible as they develop and emerge is particularly important in dryland areas as it’s more difficult to push through the hard soil surface.

“It’s hard to grow healthy wheat in this area,” Miller explained. “Because we are so dry, the wheat really has a hard time getting out of the ground. In my experience, Cruiser has been a savior in that it helps get the crop off to a healthy start with a strong stand and quicker, fuller emergence.”

Implementable results

In addition to their trials on Miller’s farm, Esser and Miller also are board members of the Washington State Crop Improvement Association (http://www.washingtoncrop.com/). Miller frequently presents information and results from his trials at board meetings, field days and grower meetings.

“Mike’s never afraid to try anything new, and we’ve really had a lot of success with our trials, especially in 2009,” Esser said. “Our trials began as strictly winter cereal trials, but we’ve expanded them to the spring crop. Mike and I have worked with other growers to set up their own seed treatment trials, as well.”

Miller also works with Paul Porter of Odessa Union Warehouse (http://www.odessaunion.com/), Miller’s seed supplier, to develop trials and adjust seed variety, seeding rate and the use of seed treatments, depending on the potential for pest outbreaks and the soil quality of each field.

“Growers in this area often ask me my ‘trick’ for getting my wheat to emerge so quickly. It’s an easy, one-word answer, and that’s Cruiser. There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s helped protect seedlings from wireworm pressure, as well as helped push it out of the ground faster,” Miller explained. “Cutting seed treatment is simply not an option for me. I can only control certain factors: seed variety, seeding rate and seed treatments. Treating my wheat seed with Cruiser just makes sense. I’ll cut somewhere else if I have to.”

Syngenta is one of the world’s leading companies with more than 25,000 employees in over 90 countries dedicated to our purpose: Bringing plant potential to life. Through world-class science, global reach and commitment to its customers the company helps to increase crop productivity, protect the environment and improve health and quality of life.  For more information, visit http://www.syngenta.com or http://www.growmorefromless.com.