Effect of Seed Dressing with ‘Granosan’ on the Prevalence of Fungi in the Root Zone of Cotton Plants

Abstract

VARIOUS investigators have reported that various environmental factors, such as temperature, moisture and light, influence micro-organisms in the vicinity of plant roots in two ways: directly, by affecting the rate of growth and multiplication of these organisms and influencing the availability of nutrients in the soil; and indirectly, by controlling plant growth and thereby affecting the nature and amount of root excretions¹. Various factors affecting the interaction of micro-organisms and plant roots, such as the nature and age of the plant, the nature and treatment of the soil, and moisture content, have been studied by a number of workers^2,8. Because seed treatment with fungicides is likely to influence the development of fungi in the vicinity of the roots of plants raised from treated seeds and because the consequences of any changes in the balance of micro-organisms in the soil could be harmful⁴ or beneficial⁵ to the plant, it was considered worthwhile to carry out a preliminary investigation of the effect of seed dressing with ‘Granosan’ on the prevalence of fungi in the vicinity of the roots of cotton plants.