Clean seeds for clean leaves
By Steve Roberts, 01 Sep 2010
Results from a joint Plant Health Solutions - ADAS project were highlighted in the September 2009 edition of HDC News. The project targeted two seed-borne diseases:
- coriander bacterial blight caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. coriandricola
- parsley leaf spot casued by Septoria petroselina
Both these diseases are recurring problems in the two major field grown herbs in the UK.
Clean seed is a key part of disease management for both diseases, so the project has provided new insights into the relationships between seed infection and disease development for both diseases. For coriander new seed health standards were defined and potential organically-acceptable seed treatments identified. For parsley, new information on the effectiveness of different fungicides can be used to devise optimume spray programmes.
Plant Health Solutions can provide specialist plant clinic and seed testing services for these pathogens, and advise on seed health standards.
Tags: HDC; disease; bacteria; fungi; seed; Pseudomonas; septoria; herbs; coriander; parsley
