New pest-control technologies continue to emerge in the area of cotton production. Today, a bag of cotton seed is no longer just a bag of cotton seed. Each bag is filled with pest-control technology in the form of genetic engineering or conventional pesticides applied as seed treatments. Treating seed with fungicides, insecticides and nematicides simultaneously is the newest technology to emerge. While fungicide treatments have been applied to cotton seed for some time, the addition of insecticides and nematicides to the seed coat is particularly new, especially in combination. Opportunities to evaluate collective nematicidal and insecticidal properties when incorporated on the seed coat have been limited until now. Comparisons can be made between control offered by the standard in-furrow nematicide/insecticide (Temik™) and that provided by a new combination seed treatment (Avicta™). More importantly, we should evaluate the ability of the seed treatment to perform under varying pest pressures, testing potential interactions and plant susceptibility to injury as compared with the standard. Other potential commercial seed treatment combinations are undergoing internal testing and might be available soon for independent testing. Because the decision to use one of these materials (seed treatments or in-furrow product) is an irreversible at-plant decision, it is extremely important to understand the advantages and limitations of each pest-management approach.