Steve D. Ruhl, Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agent
To evaluate the effect of T-22 biological fungicide seed treatment on corn yields on two different soil management systems.
| Cooperator: | Tom Weiler | Fertilizer: | N (see Tables), 114 lb/A |
| County: | Morrow | P2O5, 120 lb/A K2O | |
| Nearest town: | Chesterville | Herbicide: | PRE 2 lb/A Atrazine, |
| Drainage: | Systematically tiled | 1.5 pt/A Dual, | |
| Soil Type: | See Tables | 2 oz/A Balance Pro | |
| Tillage: | Conventional till | Row Width: | 30-inch |
| Previous Crop: | Soybeans | Planting Date: | May 20, 2002 |
| Soil Test: | pH 6.0, P 49 ppm, | Planting Rate: | 40,000 seeds/A |
| K 253 ppm | Harvest Date: | October 22, 2002 |
The study was set up as a split-planter design. Three units of the six-row planter had T-22 applied to them. The treatments were six rows wide and approximately 600 feet long. The entire plot area was harvested and weighed using a weigh wagon. The amount of T-22 used was 3 ounces per 100 pounds of seed. Five replications were used in this study.
Table 1. Corn Yield on Sloan Silty Clay Loam and 246 lb/A N as Anhydrous Ammonia.
| Treatment | Yield |
| (bu/A) | |
| T-22 | 159.2 a |
| No T-22 | 175.4 b |
| LSD (0.05) | 7.1 |
| F test | 34.3 |
Table 2. Corn Yield on Chili Loam and 172 lb/A N as Anhydrous Ammonia.
| Treatment | Yield |
| (bu/A) | |
| T-22 | 52.8 a |
| No T-22 | 59.8 b |
| LSD (0.05) | 3.4 |
| F test | 32.2 |
T-22, produced by BioWorks, Inc., is a biological fungicide that is applied as a dry powder to seeds in the planter box. The rate used is 3 ounces per 100 pounds of seed. T-22 is promoted to protect roots from soil-borne pathogens such as Pythium, Fusarium, and Rhizoctonia. Healthier roots are thought to better utilize nitrogen and withstand drought.
The 2002 growing season was very dry. These plots received a total of 1.1 inches of rain in July and 2.0 inches in June. The results obtained this year do not support the improvement in yield with the use of T-22 as found in a similar study in 2001. The 2002 growing season included excessive soil moisture at planting, soil compaction, high temperatures, flea beetles, and drought-caused stresses that can undermine the value of test plot data. More studies with T-22 need to be completed.
The author would like to thank LG Seeds and Golden Harvest for donating the seed and Mark Matthews (Advanced Biological Marketing) for donating the T-22 fungicide. Also, thanks are extended to the cooperator, Tom Weiler.
For additional information, contact:
Steve Ruhl
Ohio State University Extension, Morrow County
871 W. Marion Rd., Suite 102
Mt. Gilead, OH 43338
419-947-1070
ruhl1@postoffice.ag.ohio-state.edu