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The effects of soil conditions, soil sterilisation and seed treatmen on the emergence of cabbage in controlled temperature cabinets and the field
Author(s) -
WHITE J. G.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1988.tb02071.x
Subject(s) - biology , sowing , metalaxyl , seedling , agronomy , alternaria brassicicola , fungicide , germination , soil solarization , seed treatment , water content , horticulture , biochemistry , geotechnical engineering , arabidopsis , gene , mutant , engineering
SUMMARY Previous cropping history of the soil and the changes that occurred in soil moisture content and temperature were the major factors determining the emergence of cabbage seedlings from pathogen‐free seeds. Seedling losses caused by soil‐borne pathogens could be high but these losses were prevented by seed treatment with metalaxyl or soil sterilisation with methyl bromide prior to sowing. The beneficial effects of metalaxyl and methyl bromide treatments were confirmed in field experiments involving repeated sowings of cabbage seeds. In experiments with sterilised soil and cabbage seed infected with Alternaria brassicicola emergence at – 0·2 bars soil moisture potential was reduced by 7·8–23.5% at 5, 10, 20, and 25°C. In the field, losses due to A. brassicicola were greatest when the soil became capped after sowing. The results show that recently developed fungicides may facilitate emergence under conditions extremely favourable for seed‐ and soil‐borne pathogens. For maximum benefit, selection of seed treatments should be based on knowledge of the range of pathogens likely to reduce emergence.