VIEW ARTICLE

Eradication of Helminthosporium maydis Inside Popcorn Seed. David W. Pritchard, Post-doctoral Fellow, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster 44691; Phytopathology 64:757-758. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-64-757.

Eradication of H. maydis from internally-infected popcorn seed was accomplished by treating with a mixture of steam and air for 17 min at 54-55 C. Although some infected seedlings were detected on V-8 juice agar, none emerged in soil. Steam-air treatments increased seedling blight due to other fungi, but this could be effectively controlled with Manzate 200 treatments; a combination of the two treatments eliminated all post-emergence seedling blight. Stands were increased by 22% with steam-air compared to fungicide alone, and it is suggested that these treatments would reduce secondary infections by H. maydis through elimination of potential sources of inoculum.