Farmers growing cereals are accustomed to expect their seed to be dressed with at least one chemical treatment to protect the seedling from emergent pests and diseases and improve establishment. Yet grass and clover seed which is sown into an equally competitive environment is usually supplied natural - untreated.

With the ever increasing demand for more "greener" environmentally friendly methods of livestock production, there are strong arguments for keeping seed natural, but climate change seems to make it more likely that new sowings will be caught in stress inducing conditions, but fortunately, the choice for farmers is not simply the stark contrast between natural seed and chemically dressed seed. There is a biological seed treatment on the market which is a natural sea-weed extract.

Headstart was developed primarily for the sports and amenity market and has proved particularly valuable on football pitches where renovation and sometimes restructuring has to be done in the short period between the seasons.

Many premiership grounds-men will testify how the treatment has sped up germination and improved establishment. Growers of cultivated turf also rely on it, which leads not only to more rapid germination, but more uniform emergence leading to less growth of invasive emergent weeds, resulting in a "cleaner" product that is ready to harvest earlier.

The benefits translate equally well to establishing grass for agriculture, particularly when sowing in stressful conditions or conditions less than perfect.

Most re-seeding tends to be grass after grass and is the area where most soil borne pests are encountered, with the timing of re-seeding in the south/south-west usually being from September onwards when soil temperatures begin to drop. It is under conditions such as these that a little management "help" can be really beneficial by not only speeding up germination and establishment of the new ley, but also increasing the plant population. With plants being able to germinate and establish themselves much quicker, the overall health of the plant is greatly enhanced, thus enabling them to ward off attacks by pests and diseases - hence the improvement in plant population.

Ian Misselbrook, grass seed product manager for Advanta Seeds, said: "In our trials last autumn, a Headstart treated Italian Ryegrass mixture was compared with the same mixture untreated and sown in to maize stubble. The treated ley mixture had 17% more established plants and much stronger early vigour than its untreated counterpart."

Another use he says, is the inclusion in a protective pellet around tiny clover seeds for drilling directly into grass leys where the clover has been lost or sprayed out. Again it has proved invaluable in encouraging the clover to establish in a hostile and competitive environment. Currently, Headstart treated pelleted clovers are available in two blends; Cloverplus from distributors of Sinclair McGill grass seed and Ensign Plus from most reputable seed merchants.

Headstart is a sea-weed extract with a high cytoquinine content. This promotes cell division during germination, breaks dormancy and stimulates the metabolic process leading to faster germination and better competitive ability. It also creates enzyme activity to stimulate the formation of roots and shoots and initiate photosynthesis in the germination phase - the nett result being speedier germination, much greater and even establishment, healthier plants leading to a much improved plant population.