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When planning your seed treatment program, it’s important to choose products that complement your existing strategy. Ascend® ST3™ is a seed treatment additive designed to enhance your current program, not replace it. This innovative plant growth regulator (PGR) works alongside your standard fungicide and insecticide treatments to boost early-season growth and increase soybean yields.

New Soybean Seed Treatment Doubles Crop Protection: 2025 Field Trial Results

Ascend® ST3™ marks a breakthrough in soybean seed treatment technology that delivers 2.7 more bushels per acre based on recent field trials. This plant growth regulator (PGR) targets three key areas: early season development, better germination, and stronger root growth in soybean crops.

The results speak for themselves. Tests across 26 trial sites revealed a 73.1% positive response rate in high-yield environments. A patented blend of auxin, gibberellic acid, and cytokinin helps crops push through early season stress. Multiple growing seasons of trials have shown that this treatment consistently outperforms standard fungicide/insecticide applications when it comes to yield potential.

Let's dive into how this advanced soybean seed treatment works, the best ways to apply it, and what it means for a farm's bottom line.

How Innovative Soybean Seed Treatment Enhances Early Season Growth

Ascend® ST3™ plant growth regulator's effectiveness comes from its scientifically optimized formulation. This innovative soybean seed treatment contains three plant growth regulators (PGRs): auxin, gibberellic acid, and cytokinin. Scientists developed this specific ratio after the largest longitudinal study determined the most effective combination that supports early-season soybean development.

Auxin acts as the dominant hormone in this formulation and plays a vital role in root initiation and development. This natural hormone helps alleviate early-season stress and creates stronger, larger root systems. Plants emerge faster and more uniformly, which reduces the time seedlings remain vulnerable. Auxin determines cell fate precisely by regulating transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and post-translational responses.

Root structure has a significant impact on a soybean plant's access to water and nutrients. Ascend ST3 application as a seed treatment encourages lateral root development and creates a more extensive network that boosts plant resilience to stress. The expanded root system increases the absorption area up to 50 times, which lets roots reach micropores that root hairs alone cannot access.

Proper seed treatments offer vital protection during early growth stages while seedlings face many challenges. Seeds become more susceptible to soil-borne pathogens like Pythium and Fusarium in cold, wet soil conditions that slow germination. Drought stress also blocks essential biochemical mechanisms, including photosynthesis and nutritional absorption.

Ascend ST3 boosts critical physiological processes effectively. The auxin component gets rapid phosphorylation of plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase started, which causes apoplectic acidification that increases cell wall extensibility. These changes lead to cell expansion and elongation - basic processes that create strong early growth.

The treatment supports nodulation development, which nitrogen fixation in soybeans needs. Research shows that changing auxin biosynthesis and signaling can optimize nodule numbers and potentially improve nitrogen fixation and grain yield. These mechanisms work together to establish stronger stands with fewer gaps, which directly affects yield potential.

Ascend ST3 actively promotes growth instead of just protecting against threats, unlike traditional fungicide/insecticide treatments. This approach helps soybeans overcome environmental stresses and achieve their genetic potential.

Conclusion:

Ascend® ST3™ is not a standalone product but an additive designed to complement your existing seed treatment program. By integrating it into your current approach, you can maximize early-season development and overall yield. Field trials have shown that using Ascend ST3 alongside standard fungicide and insecticide treatments results in a consistent yield boost of 2.7 bushels per acre.

For the best results, add Ascend ST3 to your seed treatment strategy with the guidance of your FCS agronomist. They can help you with application tips and proper calibration, ensuring your soybean crops start strong and thrive through early-season challenges.