EFFECTS OF HERBICIDE SAFENER, FUNGICIDE, AND INSECTICIDE ON GERMINATION OF 7 GRAIN-SORGHUM HYBRIDS

Experiments were conducted to determine the influences of herbicide sa fener, fungicide and insecticide combinations used as a seed treatment on germination of grain sorghum hybrids. Flurazole at 0.6 g ai kg-1 s eed increased the percentage of abnormal seedlings by 2% compared to t he unsafened check, 1.25 g ai kg-1 oxabetrinil or 0.4 g ai kg-1 CGA-13 3205 when comparisons were made across all fungicide and insecticide s eed treatments. The percentage of dead seed of the two yellow endosper m hybrids, 'DeKalb 41Y' and 'DeKalb 46', treated with the three safene rs was 2 to 5% higher than with the unsafened check. No significant di fference in percent germination was found between CGA-133205 and the u nsafened check for any of the seven hybrids. All hybrids except 'DeKal b 18' 'DeKalb 46' and 'Pioneer 8358' treated with CGA-133205 had highe r final germination percentages than when treated with flurazole. The reductions in germination attributable to the safener, fungicide, and/ or insecticide used in these experiments were generally less than 5% s uggesting that the potential exists to use them in combinations with m inimal reduction in germination.