The UK"s organic research body Henry Doubleday Research Association has become involved in

the EU project Seed Treatments for Organic Vegetable Production (STOVE).

With the changes to the organic farming regulations with regards to the use of organic and non-organic seeds, the issue of seed health has become critical for some organic vegetable producers. The development of new techniques for seed sanitation and the control of seed-borne diseases is now more urgent than ever and is of interest to both producers and users of organic vegetable seeds.

The STOVE project, which is led by the Federal Biological Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Braunschweig, Germany, involves seven EU partners and is examining the potential of a range of physical and biological seed treatments for the control of seed-borne fungi and bacteria on a number of different vegetable crops, including carrots, cabbage, lettuce, dill, parsley and basil. Physical seed treatments, such as treatment with hot air or hot water, and treatments with plant extracts, disease suppressive micro-organisms and disease resistance inducing agents will be trialled on their own or in combinations (see www.stove-project.net for further details).

STOVE is a three-year project, which started in 2003. As it enters its second year it has been agreed that HDRA should become involved as the UK partner taking over the responsibilities previously assigned to HRI Wellesbourne. Plant pathologist Dr Steve Roberts will continue as principal researcher on the project as he has now teamed up with the researchers at HDRA.

Dr Margi Lennartsson, director of R&D at HDRA, said "I am very pleased that HDRA has become a partner in this project and thereby ensured the continued involvement by the UK. The issue of seed-borne diseases is clearly very important for some organic vegetable crops and effective control measures needs to be found. Dr Steve Roberts complements HDRA’s research team very well and he will strengthen our expertise in this area."

Alan Schofield, Growing with Nature, Lancashire, added "I believe the STOVE project has great potential for developing new and exciting techniques for controlling some of the difficult diseases in organic vegetables. I just wished the problem with leaf spot (Septoria apiicola) on celery could be added to the investigation as this is a big problem for me and many other organic growers at the moment."

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