Are neonicotinoid seed treatments in soybean production worth it? 2015 Update

Published Nov 19, 2015

In a Nutshell

Neonicotinoid seed treatments in soybean production are ubiquitous but recent evidence has called their benefit to yields and their ecological impact into question. • Farmer-cooperators compared soybean yields from soybeans of the same variety grown from neonicotinoid-treated seeds and seeds not treated with a neonicotinoid.

Key findings

At each location, there was no measured effect of seed treatment on soybean yield. Given the lack of measured yield benefit, the economic practicality of neonicotinoid seed treatments can be questioned.