Have you ever had a field full of leggy seedlings that looked tall and skinny with bent stems and wondered what the cause was? Wonder no more! In this blog post we are examining the causes of leggy seedlings and solutions for preventing this in the field.

For the past few years, we have talked about the concept of “antibiotics + vitamins," referring to what the combination of fungicides and adequate nutrition can achieve for your crops. The right combination is critical for promoting health and fending off diseases and pests, and it all starts with a fungal screening of the seed.

Many reports over the course of the winter suggest that we can expect issues with the quality of cereals and pulses this spring, caused by the heavy rainfall and high moisture levels experienced during the summer and fall of 2016. The excessive moisture has made it challenging to control diseases and keep harvested seeds healthy.

Excess moisture also affects the seed’s ability to dry up and achieve proper dormancy, thereby affecting germination and vigor. This spring, it won’t be surprising to see farmers seeding crops with germination and vigor below normal. To make matters worse, the high level of seed-borne pathogens will limit growth and cause a wide variety of damping-off, root rot and other early-season seedling diseases, which will thin stands and set the crops back in their growth and development.