Development of Novel Biological Seed Treatment Technologies

This project aims to develop seed treatment technologies using Biological Control Agents (BCA’s) for the control of seed-borne diseases of vegetables. Primarily looking at neck rot disease in onions and canker in parsnip, it addresses an urgent need for alternative seed treatments at a time when there are a diminishing number of conventional pesticides available for minor crops. Onion neck rot and parsnip canker are major seed borne disease problems for the vegetable production industry and can cause significant crop losses.
Novel artificial inoculation methods have been developed so that seed with high levels of pathogen infection are available for the project as well as using naturally infested seed. Plant bioassays are being used to assess pathogen transmission and disease spread from seed to seedlings in untreated and seed treated with BCA formulations. New BCA formulations as well as commercially available products are being investigated.
Successful BCA’s will have a lower environmental impact than chemical treatments and give benefits for the UK grower through increased productivity and reduced wastage caused by the reduction of diseased crops.