Tests have shown that the use of silicon as a seed treatment and foliar spray can strengthen crops against slug damage. Sirius, from Orion Future Technologies, is a biostimulant with 21 per cent silicon that protects seeds and also strengthens the cells of plants by enhancing cuticle thickness and increasing leaf hair length.
“The application of Sirius at early emergence (GS11 stage) as a foliar spray has been shown to reduce slug damage by 44 per cent in a 72-hour period in laboratory conditions using wheat seedlings,” Orion FT technical manager Kate Williams said.
Sirius delivers silicon in the form of monosilicic acid. This is achieved using Orion FT’s iNHiB technology which makes silicon available to the plant immediately, helping to strengthen its natural defences. The effect is a crop that is less palatable to slugs and more resilient to attack.
While using Sirius as a foliar spray can help the crop as it develops, Orion FT has also tested the benefit of applying the product as a seed treatment. Wheat seeds were treated with Sirius and exposed to slugs to establish the reduction in seed hollowing.
“Slugs usually cause the worst damage to winter wheat very early on, feeding on seeds almost immediately after sowing. Sirius reduced grain hollowing by more than 60 per cent. When slugs were offered 25 seeds, only seven were damaged when treated with Sirius, versus 18 with untreated seeds,” Ms Williams added.
Slugs are attracted to seeds within hours of sowing and will feed as soon as the seed has taken in water, eating the embryo, killing the seed, and often eating part or all of the endosperm, resulting in the characteristic seed hollowing.
“Sirius essentially makes the seed less palatable to the slug. When applied as a seed treatment this helps enable the seed to germinate. When applied as a foliar spray it strengthens the plant and also makes it less palatable to slugs,” Ms Williams said.
