BETTER ROOTING is the key benefit of a new seed treatment for cereal and oilseed rape seed this autumn.

According to De Sangosse, independent trials with its new Radiate treatment, have resulted in a 28-40% increase in root mass in wheat and barley respectively at early stages of tillering (GS22-23). This equates to an average 0.5t/ha increases across 54 cereal trials and, in optimally managed crops, returns closer to +0.8t/ha.
The company’s technical manager, David Foster, suggests that the key benefits come from improved uptake of nutrients and moisture from a larger root system coupled with the plant’s improved ability to capture and utilise sunlight, fuelling and encouraging growth.
“While the biggest effects are seen below ground early on in the season, cereal crops produce more fertile tillers and grains per ear resulting in better grain quality and reduced screenings,” he says.
“While Radiate will provide improvements across good growing conditions, it is also be of great benefit as an establishment aid in the autumn in more difficult drilling situations.
“Here, the larger, deeper root mass improves resistance to frost heave and winter kill, building a foundation for strong growth in the spring when fertiliser is applied. Given the near drought conditions of this summer we expect to see some significant responses again this year,” he says.
Frank Littlehales from ReSo Seeds tested the product on a number of rape crops this season and says that on the back of this he’ll be using it more widely on client’s farms this autumn.
“Test digs on one farm last spring, where growing conditions were ideal, showed an increased root length from 6cm on controls to 11cm when treated with Radiate,” he says. “This boost in early vigour would be a real help in a crop that needs strong early establishment to produce the highest yields,” he says. 
In separate assessments by independent trials organisation, NDSM, Radiate produced a 40% increase in dry root weight in wheat variety, Oakley, as a second wheat, compared to controls at the 2-3 tiller stage. However, according to trials officer Will Curtis, the most visual effects were in winter barley, where there was a corresponding 28% improvement, from a crop with a more advanced root structure.
Above ground, though, Mr Curtis says there were no obvious visual differences between treatments on both wheat and barley plots.