U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have found that a natural seed coating can protect alfalfa against some soilborne diseases.
Alfalfa is a $10 billion-a-year crop in the U.S., but producing it can be a challenge. Farmers in the Midwest often plant it early in the spring when the soil is cold and damp. That makes the seeds vulnerable to a number of soilborne diseases.
To minimize the damage, most alfalfa seeds are coated with a fungicidal treatment. But the treatment, mefenoxam, is ineffective against the pathogen causing Aphanomyces root rot (ARR), which is common to Midwestern soils.
Researchers wanted to see if coating alfalfa seeds with a naturally occurring mineral would protect them from soil diseases, including ARR. The mineral, zeolite, comes from degraded volcanic rock, has antifungal activity, and qualifies as an organic soil treatment. They also wanted to assess zeolite’s effects on the health of plant roots and beneficial soil microbes.
More information is available here: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2015/150716.htm
