What is the difference between contact and systemic seed treatments?

• A. Contact actives stay on the seed surface; systemic actives are taken up by the plant to protect against pests after emergence.
• B. There is no difference between contact and systemic treatments.
• C. Contact actives dissolve in water; systemic actives do not.
• D. There is no difference between contact and systemic treatments.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is how the active ingredient moves and protects the plant. A contact seed treatment stays on the seed surface and acts where pests touch or contact the seed or young seedling. A systemic seed treatment is absorbed by the plant and moved through its tissues, providing protection to the plant as it grows, including parts not in direct contact with the treated seed. This means the first description correctly captures both the surface protection of contact treatments and the internal, ongoing protection of systemic treatments after emergence. The other statements either claim there’s no difference or bring in unrelated details, which don’t describe how these two modes of action actually differ in how protection is delivered.