|
 Main subject - jan/feb 2006
continuation: Seed treatment logistics
Alternatives of seed treatment at the SCP
It is clear that, for safety and economic reasons, seeds should be treated a few days before sowing. It leads us to the treatment of seeds at the SCP prior to its distribution.
Soybean seed flow in Seed Conditioning Plant
Thus what are the alternatives?
1. In case the soybean seeds are clean and graded in 40kg bags, the procedure is opening the bag, treating the seeds, and then bagging them again. It is an expensive process that requires much labor.
2. Another alternative is handling the soybeans seeds in bulk as much as possible and immediately store them in big-bags. Bulky bags, usually made out of weave polypropylene, big in size, are called big-bags, where near 900kg of soybeans seeds can be stored, allow a soft and practical handling of the seeds, occupying as much space as a pallet of seed in 40kg bags. There is no investment on storage infra-structure, since the same warehouse is used as well as the same forklift, thus reducing costs. Besides that, they are easy to identify. A lot can have around 20 big-bags, and before the law, it is perfectly identified. Treatment process is made easy by the volume of seeds in each recipient.
At the SCP we can use better equipment, with more features for seeds and products dosage, allowing a precise, more controlled, and safer work. How to proceed?
The following steps to follow for soybean seeds at the SCP are: reception, pre-cleaning machines, drier if the seed is over 13% moisture and, right after the drying, delivery to bulk storage. During the conditioning itself, soy bean seeds pass through the air screen cleaner, spiral separators if necessary, gravity table - seed grader and finally bagging scales. At this moment, the recommendation is: instead of bagging seeds in 40 - 50 kg bags, in order to store them ready for distribution, it should be bagged them in big-bags, which are then stored for some time before sowing, when the treatments of the seeds will be proceeded.
How to make the treatment?
Supposing a soybeans producer who has 8,000 t (200,000 bags) of seeds sold ( and ready to be distributed) and taking into consideration 20 working days before sowing, to treat such volume of seed with 18 hours of effective work/day, 360 tons must be treated a day, that will implicate in a treatment capacity of 22tons /hour.
In this sense, it should be remained that the treatment will be done only on those seeds that are already sold and the farmer is waiting for them.
After treatment
Being this a question of management, after treating the seeds, what decision should be taken? There are two alternatives:
a) placing them in 40kg bags for their distribution;
b) continue with the big-bag.
Several seed companies who were interviewed for this paper highlighted that they are preparing to treat seeds at the SCP and deliver to the farmer a seed ready to be sown. Some companies, yet, intend to distribute seeds in bulk as done for fertilizer.
The preparation of the companies involves a small rearrangement at the SCP in which clean and classified seeds are stored in a 900kg big-bags instead of 40-50kg bags. Another aspect is that a space must be contemplated at SCP for the seed treatment itself, as well as in terms of equipment, high capacity treaters (5 tons/h) with precise controls, are essential.
Summary
Seed treatment is an essential part in the low impact crop managing systems . It is beneficial and will be more and more used.
Soybeans today: low cost input; complex of fungi transmitted by the seeds. Soybeans in the future: high value seeds; direct and early sowing; Pythium, Phytophthora; Rhizoctonia; Phomopsis attack will increase. There will be an increase in seed treatment with more products. Products, formulations, and application equipments will be improved.
The management of seed treatment involves bringing them to the SCP, apply it few days (3 days) before sowing, allowing the minimal handling of the seeds in bulk or in big-bag type, and also to proceed its distribution in such package to allow the producer to put all his efforts to sowing, which is critical to the crops success, taking out from him the need for treating all seeds.
|
|
............
|
