Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
V. SEED TREATERS
Seed treaters are used to coat seeds with a pesticide. The amount of pesti-
cide the seeds receive is important. Too much can injure the seed; too little
will not control the pests. The three basic types of commercial seed treaters
are:
•
dust treaters
•
slurry treaters
•
liquid treaters.
A. DUST TREATERS
These treaters mix seeds with a pesticide dust in a mechanical mixing
chamber until every seed is thoroughly covered. The amount of pesticide to
be added depends on the weight of seeds in the mixing chamber. Seed flow is
controlled by adjusting the gate opening on the feed hopper. The gate opening
is correct when the required weight of seeds is dumped into the mixing cham-
ber with each batch. The amount of pesticide added is controlled by a vibrat-
ing feeder which is adjusted to achieve the desired dosage.
B. SLURRY TREATERS
These treaters coat seeds with wettable powder pesticide formulations in
the form of a slurry. Only a small amount of water is used with the pesticide
so that seed germination or deterioration will not be triggered. As with dust
treaters, a specific amount of pesticide is added to a specific weight of seeds in
a mechanical mixing chamber. Slurry tanks have 15- to 35-gallon capacities,
depending on the size of the treater. Agitators keep the material mixed during
the treating operation. Wettable powders will rapidly separate from the water
if not continuously agitated. Be sure to mix the pesticide and water thor-
oughly before starting the treater and before resuming treatment after any
stoppage. Sediment on the bottom of the individual slurry cups must be
stirred into the liquid after any stoppages.
C. LIQUID OR DIRECT TREATERS
These treaters are designed to apply a small amount of pesticide solution
to a large quantity of seeds. The pesticides suitable for this treatment are mod-
erately volatile liquids which need not cover each seed entirely to achieve good
