Key Points:
- Blind seed is a potentially devastating seed disease which under damp weather conditions during flowering can severely reduce seed line germination (percentage).
- The infection of blind seed disease is more probable in short, open crops with less bulk at flowering.
- Blind seed disease and ergot were significantly reduced by sequential fungicide treatments especially treatments based around Proline.
- Germination levels were increased from 72 to 94% by the best fungicide treatments.
- There is a trend for these treatments to depress AR37 viable endophyte levels.