Seed treatments to lengthen the sugar‐beet growing period

SUMMARY Although washing, thiram soaking, advancing and combinations of these treatments increased the rate of emergence of sugar‐beet seed, some combinations, particularly those involving ethyl mercuric phosphate steeps and advancing, interacted negatively and greatly reduced total seedling emergence and shoot weight without affecting the rate of emergence. This may have happened because each treatment is, to some extent, fulfilling the function of other treatments and if together the treatments go too far, mercury enters the embryo and damages it. Therefore, proposed seed treatments need careful testing in combination with other existing treatments.