Soybean seeds often carry many kinds of fungus spores that can cause seed decay and seedling blights.
Seeds planted in cool, moist soil are also often slow to germinate and emerge.
The recent expansion of reduced and no-till planting with increased residue cover has increased the number of acres where seed is planted in cooler, wetter soils that accelerate disease pathogen risks. Thus, the advantages of using a fungicide seed treatment are favored by situations such as early planting, high soil residue cover, wet soils, deep planting, lower seed quality, and increased soybean frequency in the rotation. The disadvantages of treating soybean seed are increased seed costs and the difficulty of disposal of unplanted treated seed. Soybeans planted in warmer, drier soils which are often encountered with mid to late planting dates, especially under conventional tillage, often do not respond to fungicide seed treatments. These three management practices, all designed to improve yields and profitability, also place more stress on the seed.