Treatment of Seeds by Solvent Infusion for Control of the Seedcorn Maggot

Laboratory experiments indicated that lima bean seeds were protected from Hylemya platura (Meigen) by treatment with acetone solutions of chlorpyrifos. Infusion of beans with a 1 mM concn prevented maggots from inflicting serious damage. Under field conditions, damage reduction by using infused seeds was comparable to conventional slurry and planterbox treatments with chlorpyrifos. All methods were as effective as the recommended diazinon planterbox. Deposition and dissipation studies showed that considerably less insecticide was needed for the solvent infusion method of seed treatment.