Prevention of Stem-Break, Browning and Seedling Blight in the Flax Crop

Abstract

FURTHER to the reference¹ made to the prevention of seed-borne diseases of flax by seed treatment, the completion of experimental work for 1940 has given the following results. Although the season was unsuitable for the spread of Colletotrichum Lini in the crop, seedling blight occurred quite commonly in brairds grown from infected seed. It was almost completely eliminated by seed treatment with RD. 7846 (Imperial Chemical Industries, Ltd.), used at 5 oz. per bushel (56 lb.) of seed and by the short-wet method of seed treatment using Ceresan U. 564 (Bayer Products, Ltd.) as the fungicide. Proprietary organo-mercurial dusts of proved efficiency against Helminthosporium disease of oats exercised a very good measure of control when applied to the seed at the rate of 10 oz. per bushel of seed. These results were obtained from a series of thirteen experimental centres scattered throughout the country and using samples of seed with percentage infections with C. Lini varying between 18·2 and 35·7.