# crop_seed API lessons Curated knowledge that **does not live in the scraped corpus** but that an agent needs to interpret search_docs / get_page results correctly. This file is the source for `crop_seed_api_lessons(topic)`. Each section starts with a `## ` heading; the tool returns sections whose slug matches the topic (substring match) or all sections when `topic` is None. This file is the *only* place the MCP injects opinionated content. Everything else returned by the server comes verbatim from a vendor catalog. Lessons here should be: factual, well-cited, and conservative about what the corpus actually contains. --- ## pioneer **Pioneer (Corteva) is NOT in the seed-mcp corpus.** The MCP intentionally does not scrape pioneer.com. Per Pioneer's published Terms of Service: > "you shall not use any manual or automated software, devices or > other processes (including but not limited to spiders, robots, > scrapers, crawlers, avatars, data mining tools or the like) to > 'scrape' or download data from the Services" Pioneer additionally runs Imperva WAF on their catalog API and login-walls dealer lookup, so a polite scrape isn't technically feasible either. **Agent behavior when a farmer asks about Pioneer / P-series hybrids:** 1. Tell the farmer plainly: "I don't have Pioneer's variety data indexed — Pioneer doesn't allow automated indexing of their catalog." 2. Recommend pioneer.com → *Find a Sales Rep* (or call 1-800-247-6803) for hybrid specs and local recommendations. 3. If the farmer wants an independent third-party rating for a specific Pioneer hybrid, mention that **university extension performance trials** (Iowa State, Illinois Crop Sciences, Purdue, Nebraska, Ohio State) publish multi-location yield data on Pioneer hybrids alongside competitors — useful if they want apples-to-apples data without going through Pioneer's own marketing. 4. **Do NOT invent Pioneer hybrid ratings.** If asked "what's the disease tolerance of P1142AM?", the only correct answer is "I don't have that data — please consult Pioneer or an extension service." This is the canonical anti-hallucination policy for the seed-mcp. There is no Pioneer data; there is no inference. Direct the farmer to a primary source. --- ## rating-scales Different vendors publish ratings on different conventions. The chunker normalizes the *labels* in the chunk preamble but always preserves the source's `_scale_direction` field in the sidecar. **Bayer (DEKALB / Asgrow / WestBred)**: `1-9 (9 = best)`. A GRAY LEAF SPOT rating of 8 means EXCELLENT tolerance. A rating of 2 means SUSCEPTIBLE. **Syngenta Golden Harvest**: `9-to-1 (9 = best, 1 = worst)` — this is the *direction* Golden Harvest publishes, but the *meaning* of high numbers is the same: high = best. Where the chunker says "normalize" for Golden Harvest, that just means we've already re-stated it as `1-9 (9 = best)` in the chunk preamble; the source's `_scale_direction` field still says `9-to-1` so you can detect the provenance. **Syngenta NK / AgriPro**: `1-9 (9 = best)`. Same as Bayer. **Beck's**: ratings live behind SeedIQ login; only identity-level data is publicly available, so most disease/agronomic ratings are absent from Beck's records in this corpus. **Always check the chunk's "Rating scale" line or call `lookup_variety(source_key)` and look at `_scale_direction` if you are unsure.** Cross-vendor comparisons are valid AFTER you've confirmed each side uses the same direction. **Non-numeric values** appear for some characteristics and should be read literally: - `R`, `MR`, `S` for soybean disease resistance = Resistant / Moderately Resistant / Susceptible (not 1-9). - `Rps1c`, `Rps3a`, `Rps1k`, etc. = specific Phytophthora resistance gene present. - `R1`, `R3` (under SOYBEAN CYST NEMATODE) = effective against SCN race 1 / race 3. - `A`, `B`, `C` under HERBICIDE sensitivity = grade letters where A is most tolerant. --- ## maturity-semantics Maturity is encoded differently per crop. Don't conflate the units. **Corn — Relative maturity (RM days)**: integer roughly 75-120. Lower = shorter season, suitable for higher latitudes / shorter growing windows. 110 RM is a Central Iowa default; 85 RM suits northern Minnesota or short-season silage; 115+ RM fits southern Indiana / southern Illinois / Missouri Delta. The number is **Pioneer-style RM days**, normalized across the industry. **Soybeans — Maturity group (MG)**: float 00 (zero-zero) to 9.0 expressed with one decimal. A "3.5 MG" soybean is for central Iowa. Northern North Dakota / Minnesota plant 0.0–1.5 MG. Mid-South plants 5.0+. Each tenth of an MG ≈ 7-10 days of additional season. Sidecar field: `maturity_group` (e.g. "3.5", "0.7"). **Wheat — Class + heading**: Winter / spring decision is separate from "class" (HRW / HRS / SRW / SWW / SWS / durum): - HRW = Hard Red Winter — Plains states bread wheat - HRS = Hard Red Spring — Northern Plains, North Dakota, Montana - SRW = Soft Red Winter — Eastern Corn Belt, Ohio Valley - SWW = Soft White Winter — Pacific Northwest - SWS = Soft White Spring — Pacific Northwest - Durum — North Dakota / Montana, pasta wheat Maturity is qualitative: Early / Medium-Early / Medium / Medium-Late / Late. **WestBred's product page JSON does not always expose the wheat class as a structured field** — sometimes it's only in the marketing narrative (e.g. "WB1376CLP is a Soft White Winter Clearfield® Plus Wheat variety"). Read `positioning_statement` carefully when the sidecar's `wheat_class` is null. --- ## trait-glossary Common trait codes that appear in `trait_stack`: **Corn:** - `SSRIB` — SmartStax® RIB Complete® corn blend (above + below-ground insect protection + Roundup Ready + LibertyLink, with refuge-in-bag) - `VT2PRIB` — VT Double PRO® RIB Complete® (above-ground insect protection + Roundup Ready, refuge-in-bag) - `VT4PRIB` — VT4 PRO® RIB Complete® (newer above-ground protection) - `Trecepta` — Trecepta® (Trecepta + Roundup Ready + LibertyLink, for earworm + western bean cutworm pressure) - `SmartStax PRO` — SmartStax® PRO® (RNAi corn rootworm) - `PowerCore` — PowerCore® Refuge Advanced (older above-ground stack) - `Conventional` — no biotech traits (organic / specialty channels) **Soybeans:** - `XF` — XtendFlex® (Roundup Ready 2 Xtend + dicamba + glufosinate) - `Xtend` — Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® (dicamba + glyphosate) - `RR2Y` — Roundup Ready 2 Yield® (glyphosate only) - `E3` — Enlist E3® (2,4-D + glyphosate + glufosinate) - `LL/LL+GT27` — LibertyLink® / LibertyLink + GT27 (glufosinate + glyphosate + isoxaflutole) - `Conkesta E3` — Bt-stack for caterpillar pressure (BR/AR markets) - `SR` — SR® (sulfonylurea-tolerant, Asgrow-specific) **Wheat:** - `Clearfield` / `CLP` — Clearfield® / Clearfield® Plus (imazamox tolerance) - `CoAXium` — CoAXium® (quizalofop tolerance) — note: AgriPro's catalog flag, NOT in the WestBred corpus. Always render the full trait name (`trait_descriptions`) when telling the farmer "this variety has X trait" — bare trait codes are ambiguous in print. --- ## scn-resistance Soybean Cyst Nematode resistance ratings are critical for fields with SCN pressure (most of the Corn Belt). Read carefully: - `R3` under SOYBEAN CYST NEMATODE = Resistant to race 3 (the most common race nationally). Most "SCN-resistant" soybeans on the market are R3. - `R1, R3` = Resistant to both race 1 AND race 3. Higher value; useful in long-rotation SCN fields where race shifts have occurred. - `MR3` = Moderately Resistant to race 3. Some yield loss expected under high SCN pressure. - `S` = Susceptible. - Some Bayer Asgrow XF lines (e.g. AG29XF4) use **Peking-type SCN resistance**, which is genetically distinct from the more common PI 88788 source. Peking is more durable when SCN populations have eroded PI 88788 effectiveness. Look for "Peking type" in the positioning statement. **Recommended workflow when a farmer asks about SCN:** call `search_docs` with the user's MG range + "SCN-resistant", then `lookup_variety` on the top 2-3 candidates to verify the exact race coverage and resistance source. --- ## regional-listings The `regional_recommendations` array in each sidecar is sourced from Bayer's "local profiles" — varieties get assigned to regional Seed Guide bundles (e.g. *"2026 Washington, Oregon, SEED GUIDE"*) with a named regional agronomist contact. This is the closest signal we have to *"is this variety recommended for the farmer's geography?"* but note: - A variety being absent from a regional listing **does not** mean it's unsuitable — Bayer's local agronomists curate these lists. - Listings are vendor-side recommendations, not third-party trial data. - When the farmer mentions a region, try filtering or scanning for varieties whose `regional_recommendations[].product_list_name` mentions that region. Other vendors handle regional placement differently. Golden Harvest publishes a separate "plot report" system per state/year/site; NK publishes ratings as PDF tech sheets without regional flags. --- ## sources-not-yet-indexed These vendors are planned but not yet in the corpus. Don't assume their data is present: - **Golden Harvest (Syngenta)** — ~175 varieties, sitemap-driven scrape pending. - **NK (Syngenta)** — 29 varieties. - **AgriPro (Syngenta wheat)** — 24 wheat varieties (HRW, HRS, HWS, SWW, SWS). The only wheat coverage we expect to have outside WestBred. - **Beck's PFR (research)** — 2,089 head-to-head trial documents. Different shape from variety records — these are studies, not hybrids. - **Beck's products** — 860 products. Identity-only (SeedIQ login gates the ratings). If `list_versions()` doesn't show a vendor in the `vendor` facet, the corpus does not have it yet. Direct the farmer to that vendor's public catalog or their seed dealer. --- ## checking-your-work Before quoting a specific number to a farmer, **always** call `lookup_variety(source_key=...)` to confirm. The chunk text inside a search_docs response is a faithful render of the sidecar, but the sidecar IS the source of truth. Quoting from the canonical sidecar makes you robust against: - Chunk-text formatting bugs (e.g. a rare unicode issue trimming a value). - Future chunker changes (a re-index might rewrite the body). - Cross-vendor scale-direction differences (the sidecar's `_scale_direction` lets you state the convention explicitly). If `lookup_variety` returns "not found" but `search_docs` surfaced the chunk, that's a bug — please report it. (In normal operation, every chunk's `source_key` round-trips to a valid sidecar.)