2000 Sweet Corn Seed Treatment Tests in the Uncompahgre Valley December 2000

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction & Objectives

There are products on the market that claim to enhance seed germination, seedling vigor, make nutrients more available for plant uptake, work as antagonists against pathogenic bacteria and fungi, and promises various other benefits. In order to verify if these products will provide the benefits to the crops grown under our environmental conditions requires local testing on commercial farms.

The objectives of the sweet corn seed treatment tests were to determine if the two products tested would enhance seed germination, seedling survival, and/or crop yield.

Materials and Methods

Bio-Seed-Gard (BSG) and Amplify D seed treatments were evaluated at two locations and compared to an untreated control (UTC). The supplier states BSG is a dry blend of microorganisms including Mycorrhizal and Trichoderma along with a complete nutrient package. The supplier of Amplify D states that Amplify D enhances the supply of AMP (adenosine monophosphate) that seeds use to fuel growth. AMP helps seeds overcome stress conditions like cold, wet soils and low seed lot vigor.

Kirk Smith Farms - Carnation Road Delta, Colorado

There were three treatments initiated at this location which included an untreated control (UTC), BSG at 4 ounces per 50 lb bag of seed, and Amplify D at 2 ounces per 50 lb bag of seed. The UTC area was approximately 15 acres, the BSG was approximately 6 acres and the Amplify D was approximately 9 acres.

The sweet corn (Merlin) was planted with a John Deere planter on April 18, 2000. The seed was treated by weighing out the required amount of material and hand mixing between three 5 gallon pails until seed appeared coated with the material. A soil sample was taken at this location prior to planting to determine phosphorus levels since high levels of phosphorus (>50 ppm) can affect some microorganisms.

The environmental conditions at planting were clear with high winds, the soil temperature was 50°F at 10:05 a.m., and the soil was dry. Irrigation was started on April 19, 2000.

The treatments were evaluated for emergence, stand counts, and yield.

John Case Farms Olathe, Colorado

There were two treatments initiated at the Bud Anders field off of Fern Road. The UTC was planted on the afternoon of April 24, 2000 and irrigation water was started on April 25, 2000. The Amplify D seed treatment, at 2 ounces per 50 lb bag of seed, was planted on April 25, 2000 and irrigation followed. The UTC consisted of approximately 14 acres and the Amplify D between 5 and 6 acres.

The variety of sweet corn at this location was Avalanche. The environmental conditions on April 25, 2000 at 11:45 a.m. were clear and calm, air temperature was 60°F, the dry soil temperature was 56°F, and the irrigated soil temperature was 51°F.

The treatments at the Bud Anders field were evaluated for emergence and stand counts.

There were two treatments initiated utilizing Merlin sweet corn on the Brack field off of Falcon Road. The BSG seed treatment at 4 ounces per 50 lb bag was planted on April 27, 2000 on approximately 6 acres. The UTC was planted after the BSG treated seed on the remainder of the field. Irrigation was started on April 28, 2000.

The environmental conditions on April 27, 2000 at 1:45 p.m. were clear and the air temperature was 82°F, and the dry soil temperature was 60°F.

The treatments at the Brack field were evaluated for plant populations (stand counts).

Results and Discussion

Visual observations on emergence at all three locations did not reveal any major differences in when the sweet corn emerged. The only difference that was observed was which treatment got irrigated first. For example at the Kirk Smith location, the irrigation water was started on the UTC planted corn and worked across the field from west to east. On May 3, 2000 all treatments had emerged corn but the UTC and BSG plots could be "rowed good " and the Amplify D could only be "rowed fair". The Amplify D treated area got water last.

The soil sample results from the Kirk Smith location showed 13.7 ppm of phosphorus which is well below the 50 PPM that can affect some microorganism.

Stand counts resulted in no major differences at any location whether it was treated with Amplify D, BSG, or left untreated (Table I and II).

There were no major differences in yields at the Kirk Smith farm between treatments (Table I). There were 1.27 acres harvested out of each treatment and converted to yield per acre.

Summary and Conclusions

Based on the results in the year 2000, Amplify D and BSG seed treatment on sweet corn did not improve emergence, plant populations, or yield. Therefore based on this one year of data, there is no apparent benefit from treating sweet corn seed with these two products.

Table 1: Stand Counts and Yield of Sweet Corn at Kirk Smith Farms

Table 2: Stand Counts of Sweet Corn at John Case Farms

Table 3: Soil Temperature at Various Times and Locations in the Spring of 2000

Page Maintained by Norraine Harvey, Administrative Technician
Colorado State University - Tri River Area
Mesa County Extension Office
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Grand Junction, CO 81502-5028
Voice: 270 244-1834
FAX: 270 244-1700