Common bunt is a devastating seed borne disease in wheat and related cereals. Starting from just a few spores in a seed batch, the disease can develop in the crop reducing grain yield and especially quality.
Solution
Vinegar treatment
Acetic acid is very effective to control common bunt in wheat. Seed treatments with white vinegar can easily be applied on-farm, but germination can be harmed if it is not applied properly.
Caution: A vinegar treatment will protect seeds from bunt spores on the seed, but not in the soil. It is efficient after proper seed cleaning. Can be used to protect related (hulled) cereals (such as spelt and emmer) from bunt, but might be less effective, or greater quantities are needed.
Description
Practical recommendations
• For 100 kg seed, approx. 1,7 l of vinegar (4%) (If the concentration is more then 4%, dilute with cold water to reach 4%. According to practical experience, 1,7 l of liquid for 100 kg of seed is usually enough to treat all seeds without wetting them too much, but you may need to adjust according to seed humidity.)
• On-farm, you can use a cement drum to treat seed batches. For small seed quantities (e.g. in collections), you can simply use a hand-sprayer for treating, while shaking the seeds in a small container.
• Avoid using high concentrations: beyond 5% acetic acid, germination rates are reduced in some experiments.
• Dry quickly and thoroughly the seeds after treating to preserve seed quality.
• If the treated seed is actively dried after treatment (e.g. by a hot airstream), let the vinegar work on the seed for approximately a minute before drying.
• Make sure that the entire seed surface is covered! It is crucial that the application is as uniform as possible, as fast as possible, to avoid the acetic acid from evaporating and the seed from imbibing too much liquid.
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