Should I use a pod sealant?

Pod sealants are polymer sprays meant to reduce shattering when straight combining. Recent western Canadian research at a limited number of trial locations has to date not indicated significant benefits overall, but some individual trials and producer experiences have occasionally been positive. If farmers do use them, leave a test strip to assess whether the sealant made a difference on yield. Ensure application timing is optimal and water volumes are adequate to maximize the odds for success. Crops that are hail damaged or have a high disease incidence, such as alternaria, may not be good candidates for a pod-sealant. Lesions or hail scars on pods have damaged the outer waxy layer and the physical integrity of the pods and have increased the risk of pod shattering and have the potential to disrupt the pod-sealant’s effectiveness.