What is New in Seed Coatings

Seed Coatings started many centuries ago when the Chinese wrapped their rice seed in a mud ball when planting their rice fields. The ball would keep the seed from floating to the top when they flooded their fields. Seed treatment of Alfalfa first began with preinoculation of the seed to make it more convenient to plant. The farmer did not have to go through the process of inoculating the seed himself, and this was a great improvement at the time. In 1975 Ramsey Seed in California acquired technology from a New Zealand company to begin coating seed with a buildup of lime and polymers meant to improve the adhesion of inoculant, protect the seed, and aid in stand establishment

Advances in Alfalfa Promotion

Kentucky grain farmers have experienced several successful years seeing high prices and good yields, with the exception of the drought in 2012. If you were insured in 2012, which most lenders required, you probably also came out with a profit during that challenging time. Alfalfa producers in Kentucky have also seen high prices and decent yields. While the drought of 2012 affected them, most still harvested an 80 % crop with extremely high prices and demand. The fact that alfalfa is a deep rooted plant, coupled with timely rains proved beneficial to this group

Status and New Developments in Seed Coatings

The acceptance and use of coated alfalfa seed has become the standard of how alfalfa seed is being sold. Coated seed, refers to a buildup in coating material of 10-34%. Seventy percent of proprietary alfalfa seed is now buildup coated, and 80 % of that amount is a 34% coating. The remaining is a 10% buildup and is usually only used as a carrier for inoculation and fungicide. The higher buildup coatings are able to carry more active ingredients that also enhance the agronomic benefit to the young seedling. The benefits to the young seedling, from the components of the coating have led to a large increase in market share of coated seed

Advances in Alfalfa Seed Coatings

The volume of alfalfa being sold as coated seed has been in the growth mode for several years. This growth is being fueled by greater acceptance from the producer, as well as the many value added components that are now labeled and being offered as seed treatments. Originally seed coatings were looked at as a better way to deliver rhizobia to insure plant nodulation. This is still one goal, but many more value added components are now labeled that offer better plant protection, increased water absorption, enhanced germination, and micro-nutrient availability, as well as insect and parasite control. Another area that is seeing expanded growth is in all natural organic coating. These coating components are all organically approved and or OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) certified

Advances in Alfalfa Seed Coating

Seed coating for alfalfa has been available since the mid to late 70’s. Over the last 30 years, advances in the industry have made it the choice of many producers. The purpose of the coatings at that time was mainly to add weight to increase the ballistic properties and to be a carrier for the rhizobia. Through research and new technology, coatings have evolved and shown great agronomic benefits. Seed coating can provide an opportunity to supply effective quantities of needed materials to each seed, which can influence both the physical property, and the microenvironment of the seed. Coatings can protect the rhizobia and provide a microenvironment for quick nodulation, insuring good seed-soil contact. This improves the movement of water to the seed, and increases the seed weight and size, which improves seed plantability. Treating the seed with a precise loading of pesticides and /or fungicides, supplying of growth regulators, incorporating hydrophilic and/or hydrophobic materials in the coating regulates water imbibition and germination, and adds beneficial elements and micronutrients to the seed. Indeed the future of seed coating may develop into a prescription approach – coating the seeds with the necessary elements to fit the needs of the field and the crop for optimum growth

Advances in Alfalfa Seed Coating

Seed coating for alfalfa has been available since the mid to late 70’s. Over the last 30 years, advances in the industry have made it the choice of many producers. The purpose of the coatings at that time was mainly to add weight to increase the ballistic properties and to be a carrier for the rhizobia. Through research and new technology, coatings have evolved and shown great agronomic benefits. Seed coating can provide an opportunity to supply effective quantities of needed materials to each seed, which can influence both the physical property, and the microenvironment of the seed. Coatings can protect the rhizobia and provide a microenvironment for quick nodulation, insuring good seed-soil contact. This improves the movement of water to the seed, and increases the seed weight and size, which improves seed plantability. Treating the seed with a precise loading of pesticides and /or fungicides, supplying of growth regulators, incorporating hydrophilic and/or hydrophobic materials in the coating regulates water imbibition and germination, and adds beneficial elements and micronutrients to the seed. Indeed the future of seed coating may develop into a prescription approach – coating the seeds with the necessary elements to fit the needs of the field and the crop for optimum growth

Kentucky Alfalfa Conference: A Team Approach to Alfalfa Education and Technology Transfer

Alfalfa has played an important role in providing farmers of Kentucky with a high yielding, high quality, persistent forage legume for many years. In 1980, a group of individuals under the leadership of University of Kentucky Forage Extension Specialists organized and implemented the first statewide educational event on alfalfa. This initial meeting gave rise to the Kentucky Alfalfa Conference that celebrated it’s twentieth anniversary in February 2000. This annual event has been co-sponsored by the University of Kentucky, Kentucky Forage and Grassland Council, along with other state and national groups including Certified Alfalfa Seed Council, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Kentucky Beef Cattle Association and Kentucky Pride Hay Growers Association. It has been supported annually by many agribusiness groups. Over the past twenty years, the conference has recorded an average of 250 producers each year. Statewide hectarage of alfalfa has more than doubled and overall quality has been improved. The conference has expanded beyond the state and has become a regional event

The state of the Martian climate

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes

Advances in Seed Coating

Paper was unavailable at Press time

Fast selective detection of polar brominated disinfection byproducts in drinking water using precursor ion scans

Brominated disinfection byproducts (DBPs), formed from the reaction of disinfectant(s) with natural organic matter and bromide in raw water, are generally more cytotoxic and genotoxic than their chlorinated analogues. Brominated DBPs have been intensively studied over the past 35 years, yet only a fraction of the total organic bromine formed during disinfection has been identified. A significant portion of the unaccounted total organic bromine may be attributed to polar/highly polar brominated HIPS. In this work, a method for fast selective detection of polar/highly polar brominated DBPs in drinking water was developed using negative ion electrospray ionization-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (ESI-tqMS) by setting precursor ion scans of m/z 79 and 81. This method was conducted without liquid chromatography separation. The results demonstrate that the ESI-tqMS precursor ion scan is an effective tool for the selective detection of electrospray ionizable bromine-containing compounds in a complex mixture. Many polar/highly polar bromine-containing HIPS were tentatively found in two drinking water samples, and some of them may be new brominated DBPs that have not been previously reported. This method was also extended for the selective detection of polar bromine-containing compounds/contaminants in groundwater, surface water and wastewater