New Poncho/VOTiVO seed treatment from Bayer CropScience has received registration from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in corn.

"We are very pleased to bring this product to market after conducting years of research and hundreds of trials," said Poncho/VOTiVO corn product manager Kerry Grossweiler. "We have successfully combined the No. 1 corn seed-applied insecticide with a truly innovative new approach to protect seedlings and roots from nematodes. For growers, that means improved plant vigor, fierce yields and a positive return on investment."

Poncho/VOTiVO features the higher-powered 500 rate (.500 mg of a.i. per kernel) of Poncho 600 seed-applied insecticide, so corn growers get increased control of wireworms, black cutworms, white grubs and other early season insect pests. Using the 500 rate produces more plants per acre and higher yields than the industry standard 250 rate (.250 mg of a.i. per kernel), Grossweiler said.

But what makes this seed treatment truly unique, said product development manager Jennifer Riggs, is the inclusion of a specific bacteria strain that colonizes corn roots upon germination and creates a biological barrier of protection that nematodes can't break through.

"There are about a dozen nematode species that can cause major problems in corn," Riggs said. "Poncho/VOTiVO provides protection against nematode feeding—regardless of the target nematode species."

Bayer CropScience has collaborated with numerous university Extension nematologists, seed company agronomists, crop consultants and others to conduct a total of 167 field trials since 2007. These trials, planted across widespread geographies and field conditions, showed Poncho/VOTiVO averaging a 6 to 8 bu/A yield gain over Poncho 250. Large demonstration plots have been planned for the 2010 crop season.

"Poncho/VOTiVO is a part of a growing seed treatment portfolio from Bayer CropScience," Grossweiler said. "This company already is an industry leader in traditional and biological seed treatments, and we plan to bring several more high-quality products to market in the next five years."