Seedling Diseases of Vegetables in Conservation Tillage with Soil Fungicides and Fluid Drilling. Donald R. Sumner, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station, Tifton 31793-0748. Suhas R. Ghate, and Sharad C. Phatak. Department of Agricultural Engineering, and Department of Horticulture, University of Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station, Tifton 31793-0748. Plant Dis. 72:317-320. Accepted for publication 2 November 1987. Copyright 1988 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-72-0317.

Germinated and nongerminated seed of okra, cucumber, cowpea, and tomato were planted with fluid drilling into mowed, disked, or moldboard-plowed rye on Bonifay sand and Tifton loamy sand in March, April, or May in 1985 and 1986. In each plot, adjacent rows of each crop were either drenched with metalaxyl + pencycuron or not treated, and all plots were irrigated immediately after planting. Average plant stands were increased 13 and 20% in the fungicide treatment compared with nontreated soil in March and April 1985, respectively. However, even without fungicide treatment, plant stands in April were 91% greater than in March. In 1986, plant stands were increased an average of 28% with the fungicide treatment, but plant stands were similar in nontreated soil in April and May. The fungicide treatment significantly reduced populations of Rhizoctonia solani AG-4 in soil and reduced root disease severity in one planting of cowpea. Moldboard plowing increased plant stand in one planting of cowpea but not in okra or cucumber. There were no differences in root disease severity among tillage treatments in any crops. Plant stand and root disease severity were similar with both nongerminated and germinated seed treatments.