East Lansing, Michigan, USA
March 19, 2013
Are you an organic soybean producer interested in cost-effective seed treatments? A free webinar series, Farm-based Biocontrol Seed Treatments for Improving Soybean Yields, is slated for March 28 at noon.
The webinar, sponsored by the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development (NCRCRD) at Michigan State University, will be presented by Brian B. McSpadden Gardener, professor of microbial ecology of plants, biological control and phytobacteriology at Ohio State University (OSU).
Gardener is also the director of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), Organic Food and Farming, Education and Research at OSU.
Beneficial bacteria exist in all agricultural soils, but their natural distribution does not allow maximum benefits to be conferred to the crop. Treating seed with beneficial bacteria can help to ensure proper root colonization and expression of beneficial bacterial activities.
All soils also harbor some plant pathogens, but treating seed with bacterial biocontrol agents can protect plants from these detrimental microbes.
The webinar series will describe an inexpensive and organically acceptable formulation of a widely distributed biocontrol bacterium for use as a yield-enhancing seed treatment on soybeans.
To join the webinar series, register today at http://events.anr.msu.edu/Agruraldev/.
The NCRCRD is directed by an MSU faculty member and works to establish collaborative working relationships across the region to address emerging and continuing issues of interest to rural communities.
Join NCRCRD’s LinkedIn group at http://www.linkedin.com/groups/North-Central-Regional-Center-Rural-4763261.
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