Pesticide application

Pesticide application refers to the practical way in which pesticides, (including herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, or nematode control agents) are delivered to their biological targets (e.g. pest organism, crop or other plant). Public concern about the use of pesticides has highlighted the need to make this process as efficient as possible, in order to minimise their release into the environment and human exposure (including operators, bystanders and consumers of produce). The practice of pest management by the rational application of pesticides is supremely multi-disciplinary, combining many aspects of biology and chemistry with: agronomy, engineering, meteorology, socio-economics and public health, together with newer disciplines such as biotechnology and information science.

Seed treatments can achieve exceptionally high efficiencies, in terms of effective dose-transfer to a crop. Pesticides are applied to the seed prior to planting, in the form of a seed treatment, or coating, to protect against soil-borne risks to the plant; additionally, these coatings can provide supplemental chemicals and nutrients designed to encourage growth. A typical seed coating can include a nutrient layer—containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, a rhizobial layer—containing symbiotic bacteria and other beneficial microorganisms, and a fungicide (or other chemical) layer to make the seed less vulnerable to pests.

...
Wikipedia