CONTROL OF ROOT DISEASE IN PEAS BY SEED TREATMENT IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA

Abstract

The effectiveness of seven different fungicide treatments on peas (Pisum sativum L.) was determined on irrigated land in southern Alberta from 1961 to 1963. Emergence and yield were higher from treated than from untreated seed. Captan, Semesan, and Bayer 47531 were the most effective fungicides.The fungicides did not influence either the type or frequency of isolation of pathogens from roots at harvest. Fusarium spp. and Pythium spp. were the fungi most frequently isolated from diseased roots. Pythium was isolated from seeds germinated for 3 days at 15 °C in moist, naturally infested soil, but no pathogens were isolated from seeds treated with captan. Although emergence from untreated seed of six varieties of peas differed with location and variety, emergence from the seed treated with 65% captan was uniformly high. Captan protected both sound and damaged seed from attack by pathogens.