Common bunt can be controlled with most commercial treatments. Recently, a disease called Karnal bunt was detected in the southwestern U.S.A. Quarantines are established to keep Karnal bunt out of the Great Plains. Use of certain seed treatments could help reduce the spread of this seedborne disease. No products can control Karnal bunt after it becomes established in the soil. A second major use is to improve stand establish-ment.
Most treatments do at least a fair job of controlling seed rots and seedling blights.
Scab and black point are two seedborne diseases that can reduce seed germination. If seed has either of these, it should be cleaned to remove all light seeds, then tested for germination rate. Several treatments are available if wireworms are expected to be a problem. The third use is root rot suppression. Unfortunately, none of these treatments gives high levels of control.