Preliminary Studies on the Use of New Seed Treatments for the Control of Loose Smut of Barley

SUMMARY In a semi‐commercial field trial, the soaking of barley seeds infected with Ustilago nuda in a 0⋅2 per cent suspension of thiram for 24 hours at 30°C reduced the number of infected plants from 244 (0⋅95 per cent) to 2⋅25 (0⋅009 per cent) per plot. Hot‐water treatment (2 hr at 42⋅7°) was less effective. In a second, smaller, trial soaks in thiram and “Vitavax” gave 100 per cent control and seed treatment with a 10 per cent “Vitavax” dust reduced infection from 3⋅44 per cent to 0⋅14 per cent.