BACTERIALTREATMENT UNDERGOINGUKTESTS
BACTERIALTREATMENT UNDERGOINGUKTESTS
TESTING is underway to assess the suitability of a new biological cereal seed treatment, following successful commercial use on 60,000ha (148,000 acres) of spring barley in Sweden.
The treatment, which is sold as Cedomon in Scandinavia, is based on a naturally occurring bacterium, which has been isolated from cultivated and non-cultivated soils and plant roots.
Although the bacterial mode of action is complex, studies in Sweden show that bacterial cells must be present on the seed for effective disease control.
Uniroyal Chemical, which will market the product in the UK, is now putting it through national trials before applying for PSD approval.
Technical manager Andrew Jones says the treatment appears to offer good control of both net blotch and leaf stripe in barley, as well as leaf spot in oats.
"The formulation we are evaluating at the moment cant be used on wheat, but it is highly likely that there will be a wheat product in the future," he says.
"Work to date suggests the disease control offered by the product is as high as that provided by fungicidal seed treatments, being in excess of 95% control, although it is not quite so broad-spectrum."
Harmless to humans
Toxicological studies show UCL104 is harmless to humans, animals and the environment, confirms Mr Jones. "That means there is no risk of residues and no restrictions in the handling of treated seed."
These characteristics make the bacterial strain and the oil-based formulation suitable for organic farming systems, as well as having appeal to an integrated farming system, he suggests.
"But growers will have to wait two or three years before it will be available. It still has to go through the registration process."
Studies carried out with Cedomon in Sweden and in other European countries over eight years used a wide range of growing conditions. Control of several seed-borne diseases was similar to that given by standard fungicidal seed treatments.
The work, by the Plant Pathology and Biocontrol Unit at Uppsala in Sweden, used a formulation in which the bacterium was mixed with rapeseed oil containing some surfactants and a blue stain.
This formulation proved compatible with existing industrial seed treatment equipment and was subsequently used for large-scale, low volume treatment of barley. *
Cereal seed-borne disease
control with UCL 104
Disease No of field Control experiments
Barley
Net Blotch >95% 30
Leaf stripe >95% 21
Spot blotch 40-50% 4
Covered smut >85% 3
Loose smut None 11
Oats
Leaf spot 76-90% 11
Loose smut 80-90% 13
Source: Plant Pathology and Biocontrol Unit, Sweden.