Beginning in 2022, soybean growers will be able to protect the genetic potential of their seed investment against double the damaging pests. Lumiderm® is a new insecticide seed treatment, containing a novel Group 28 insecticide mode of action, that shields soybean seedlings against twice the number of insect species when compared with Gaucho® seed treatment, adding cutworms, white grubs, thrips and wireworms to the spectrum of control.
“Growers — especially those who prefer to plant early — want better protection from emerging pest pressure during the early critical growth stage,” said Brad Van Kooten, Pioneer Seed Treatment Category Leader. “Getting soybeans off to a strong start with less insect pressure is key to developing healthier root systems and fuller and more uniform plant stands; and helping to maximize yield potential.”
The new Lumiderm insecticide seed treatment provides additional advantages over Gaucho® seed treatment, including a consistent 1 to 2 bu/A yield advantage in multi-year trials and an 8% reduction in plant stand gaps.1 In fields with a history of heavy insect pressure, Lumiderm also works exceptionally well when paired with Gaucho® seed treatment and other seed-applied products, adding a unique mode of action on bean leaf beetles, seedcorn maggots and aphids.
Lumiderm is part of the LumiGEN® seed treatment portfolio from Pioneer for soybeans. It was released in limited grower testing quantities this season and will be fully available for the 2022 planting season. Tony Collins, owner of Collins Ag Services, Inc., partner in Pfeiffer Seeds, Inc.; and a Pioneer sales representative in Hastings, Nebraska, planted Pioneer® brand A-Series soybeans, Pioneer® variety P27A30, in side-by-side trials. He planted half with a LumiGEN seed treatment package that included Gaucho® insecticide and half that also added Lumiderm® insecticide.
“Visually, the soybeans with the Lumiderm package just look healthier at this point; they’re fuller, more mature and a little taller than the plot treated with the standard package,” said Collins. “We also saw better final stand counts — 158,000 plants per acre versus 142,000 plants per acre on a 170,000 seed per acre planting rate.”
In addition to growers who are focused on realizing higher soybean yield potential, Lumiderm insecticide seed treatment has a clear fit with growers who plant cover crops.
“Cover crops can be an important part of a sustainable agriculture system by suppressing weeds, preserving nitrogen and improving soil quality, but they also can attract increased and broader insect populations to decaying crop residue and cover crop plants,” said Van Kooten. “Lumiderm reduces the risk of stand loss issues in fields with cover crops with its enhanced protection against heavy insect pressure.”
Growers can contact their local Pioneer sales representative to help accurately determine if their fields are good candidates for seed treatments. More information on premium seed treatments for soybeans can be found at Pioneer.com.