Phytophthora and pythium are two early-season soybean diseases that crimp yield potential, and soybean growers now have an extra tool in battling these fungal diseases. Corteva Agriscience is launching its Lumiante fungicide seed treatment as part of its LumiGen seed treatment portfolio for the 2025 growing season.

“We want to protect soybeans and give them the best chance to get off to a strong start,” says Brad Van Kooten, seed applied technology leader at Pioneer seeds. “Two diseases to worry about are pythium and phytophthora. I call them No. 1 and No. 2 threats. The reason we hear about them is they can cause damping off reductions in stands early in the growing season.”

These two diseases were on the watch list for agronomists last May, particularly in fields with poor drainage, says Chad Kalaher, a Beck’s field agronomist.

Van Kooten says Lumiante fungicide seed treatment provides superior control of pythium and works against more strains of the soil-borne disease than previous LumiGen seed treatment offerings.

The trend toward early soybean planting often is accompanied by farmers planting during cold and wet conditions. “We see more of this as farmers push for higher yields,” Van Kooten says.

Thus, protection against early-season diseases that can stress soybeans in early growth stages is critical, he adds.

Van Kooten says Lumiante fungicide seed treatment supplements disease protection already included in the LumiGen package. This includes LumiTreo fungicide seed treatment that provides protection against phytophthora. Luminate fungicide seed treatment also contains another mode of action against pythium — ethaboxam — that is effective against metalaxyl-resistant species. 

Phalanx insecticide seed treatment

Also joining the LumiGen seed treatment portfolio next spring is Phalanx insecticide seed treatment. Phalanx will replace Gaucho seed treatment in the portfolio. Phalanx insecticide is labeled against more insect species than Gaucho, Corteva officials say.

“Phalanx insecticide seed treatment has a water-based formulation, which improves its drying properties compared to Gaucho seed treatment,” Van Kooten says.

Corteva also is offering the option to add Ilevo seed treatment and Lumiderm insecticide seed treatment to the LumiGen seed treatment package. Ilevo seed treatment helps protect against soybean cyst nematode and sudden death syndrome. 

When added to the package that already includes Phalanx insecticide seed treatment, Lumiderm insecticide seed treatment provides an additional mode of action against key insect pests including seedcorn maggot, wireworm, white grub and bean leaf beetle, Corteva officials say.