Wheat Seed Treatment Market Size, Share, Opportunities, And Trends By Application (Chemical, Biological), By Function (Seed Protection, Seed Enhancement, Other Functions), By Application Techniques (Seed Coating, Seed Pelleting, Seed Dressing, Other Application Techniques), And By Geography - Forecasts From 2024 To 2029

The wheat seed treatment market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.37% to grow from US$2.081 billion in 2022 to US$3.423 billion in 2029 during the forecast period.

The wheat seed treatment segment is upsurged by the increasing food demand all over the world, hence higher output of wheat is needed. Moreover, seed treatments are becoming common among farmers to shield crops against diseases, pests, and environmental stresses and, in turn, cause an escalation of the yield potential and crop quality.

There are various types of wheat seed treatment products available such as Kodiak, mycostop, soilgard, and others. Moreover, there are technological advancements and rising demand for the product due to the growing need for wheat among people. The diversification along with the technological advancements aids the growth of the wheat seed treatment market. 

Market Drivers:

• Wheat production and a growing population worldwide will result in increased demand.

The global wheat production worldwide for the year 2022 stood out as 779. While the USDA predicts a 0.16% growth rate of 1.26 million tons by 2023, the volume of global soybean production is estimated at around 33 million tons in 2023.

Subsequently, the USDA's projections on the consumption of wheat to increase in upcoming years because of the increased population should be taken into consideration. For example, the population is projected to increase to the 9.1 billion mark, and food consumption is anticipated to increase maximally by 50% by the year 2050 based on the UN report. This growing demand for wheat indicates the increasing market of wheat seed treatment products that protect the crop from different diseases thus, the market size for them will increase.

• Increased benefits and higher yields are anticipated to boost the market expansion.

Wheat seed treatments are beneficial for seed protection, and seed enhancement thereby enabling a higher yield. In most cases, crop seed coating takes about three or four weeks to protect till the seedling is well established, and often improves the germination rate. The seed treatment acts as a shield, resisting the seeds from fungal pathogens and insects, such as wireworms and aphids.

For instance, the use of chlorpyrifos emiddachloropid insecticide protects the wheat from termites. Moreover, the seed treatment provides nutrients to the wheat crop through seed coating, pelleting, and dressing. These phenomenal benefits are expected to boost the wheat seed treatment market size during the forecasted period.  

• Technological advancements are driving the market growth.

Wheat seed treatment techniques are constantly modernizing with the help of smart technologies. For example, a novel Non-thermal plasma technology (NTP) is an ecological seed treatment agency that reinforces seed germination and controls seed-borne pests. Nanotechnology for seed incorporation allows the manufacture of nanoscale agrochemicals and their application is sustainable.

Moreover, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are further made available in the market which enables enzyme activity at the starch-degrading site. The evolving technique and continuous research are expected to aid the wheat seed treatment market size.

Market Restraints:

• Unfavorable climate conditions will negatively impact the market growth.

The rate at which climate change is going on is alarming and it is affecting crop production globally which indicates that crop productivity and how much can be produced is mostly climate-dependent. For example, the Indian wheat production in the crop year 2021-22 decreased around 3 percent according to industry experts partly because of heat waves in Punjab and Haryana state.

Moreover, severe droughts impacted wheat production in China, Russia, and the Kazakhstan region thereby increasing global food insecurity. The adoption of wheat seed treatment is anticipated to be higher among farmers to cope with the growing demand thus propelling the market growth for wheat seed treatment products.

North America is expected to be the largest market for wheat treatment.

The North American region is expected to show a higher increase in the wheat seed treatment market owing to technological advancements and the adoption of smart techniques by farmers to increase crop yield. Wheat is ranked third in the U.S. crop production list and planted acreage in 2022-23 as per the USDA. The USA generally ranks among the top five wheat exporters in the world as per the reports of USDA. 

However, Rust, Fusarium spp, and nematode are the major concern for annual losses of wheat production in the region. The government is funding research and development projects for the innovation of new seed treatment technology to improve yields and efficiency.

Wheat Seed Treatment Products:

• DIVIDEND®, developed by Syngenta Crop is a triazole-based seed treatment product extensively used for increasing wheat production. It controls seed-borne and soilborne diseases along with early pathogens such as Tilletia controversa, Rhizoctonia, septoria, and many others.
• DYNA-SHIELD® FOOTHOLD® VIROCK® developed by Loveland Products protects seedlings against insect injuries such as metalaxyl, tebuconazole, fludioxonil, and others. Moreover, it protects against seed decay caused by Aspergillus, penicillium, and other species. 
• Awaken ST, a seed treatment developed through ACA technology features the zinc ammonium acetate( ZAA)  emulsion with a micronutrient package. Awaken ST leads to quicker emergence and lesser factory biomass by promoting root growth.  Awaken ST fleeces the seed with nutrients and has been shown to ameliorate early vigor and advanced yields.   It has been shown to ameliorate early vigor-post-emergence and increase yield implicit compared to undressed seed advanced root biomass was observed in the treated seed.

Key Developments:

• In February 2024, Locus Agriculture (Locus AG) announced the addition of six additional biological treatments to its Rhizolizer® Duo product range, marking a significant leap in row crop farming. The biologicals are readily available for in-furrow, upstream, and downstream seed treatments, meeting the changing demands of row crop farmers, seed treatment firms, agricultural merchants, and distributors.
• In March 2023, Syngenta Crop entered into a partnership with Aphea to develop a new biostimulant seed treatment product named ACTIV based on microorganisms. This product enables farmers to reduce the usage of fertilizers and increase the yield by up to 5%.
• In November 2022, a label expansion was granted to the new seed treatment product Lumivia® CPL seed-applied insecticide by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Lumivia® made by Corteva Agriscience is an insecticide that is very resistant to diseases of wheat, barley, pulses, and lentils.
• In December 2022, EVOIA announced the launch of its first seed treatment product for spring 2023. The seed treatment is manufactured by Biochar named AmpliFYR. The product is suitable for wheat, corn, and soybeans in increasing the seedling root and shoot growth. Moreover, it is 100% biobased as a part of the USDA BioPreferred program and certified with the Fertilizing Materials Law and regulations of California.

Segmentation:

• By Application
  • Chemical
  • Biological
• By Function
  • Seed Protection
  • Seed Enhancement
  • Other Functions
• By Application Techniques
  • Seed Coating
  • Seed Pelleting
  • Seed Dressing
  • Other Application Techniques
• By Geography
  • North America
    • USA
    • Canada
    • Mexico
  • South America
    • Brazil
    • Argentina
    • Others 
  • Europe
    • United Kingdom
    • Germany
    • France
    • Spain
    • Others 
  • Middle East and Africa
    • Saudi Arabia
    • UAE
    • Israel
    • Others 
  • Asia Pacific
    • China
    • Japan
    • India
    • South Korea
    • Taiwan
    • Thailand
    • Indonesia
    • Others