Protection of Brassica seedlings against downy mildew and damping-off by seed treatment with CGA 245704, an activator of systemic acquired resistance

Control of seedling diseases is a major priority in many crop systems. Seed treatments that induce systemic resistance after seedling emergence may be an ideal way to provide protection against disease during the establishment of the crop. CGA 245704, a chemical activator of systemic acquired resistance, was tested as a seed treatment against two Brassica diseases with contrasting infection biologies, the airborne downy mildew pathogen, Peronospora parasitica, and the soilborne fungus, Rhizoctonia solani. Seeds of two Brassica spp. were either imbibed with various concentrations of the compound or imbibed and then dried. Both the imbibition treatment alone and the imbibition treatment followed by seed drying had a significant effect on the sporulation intensity of P. parasitica for all concentrations of the compound used, whereas the imbibition treatment provided some control of damping‐off caused by R. solani, with the degree of control being highly dependent on the concentration applied to the seed. Seed treatment with the plant activator CGA 245704 might therefore simultaneously control several seedling diseases, thereby providing a novel option for management of these diseases. © 1998 SCI.