Prüfung von Saatgutbehandlungen an Karotten

Summary

To grow carrots in organic quality for storage is often difficult due to seed- and
soilborne diseases. In a series of experiments, seed treatments were evaluated to
improve seed health, field stand establishment and yield of carrots under field
conditions on farmer’s fields within their production system. In standard germination
tests in the laboratory, positive effects of the treatments were observable. However, in
subsequent field experiments, none of the tested seed treatments improved crop
establishment or yield. These results indicate that the quality of organic carrot seeds is
generally sufficient and improvements with farm-made seed treatments are difficult to
obtain. Further improvement in organic production of carrots may be achieved by seed
treatments, such as physical methods or biocontrol organisms, applied by specialised
companies, prior to marketing of these seeds.