Better Repellent for Direct Seeding

A new, improved bird repellent without most of the defects of previous formulations used in direct seeding has been developed by researchers at Alexandria, La. Arasan 42-5, a liquid suspension of thiram (tetramethylthiuramdisulfide), is easy to apply and forms a durable coating that is free of noxious dust. It can be blended with Stauffer's Endrin 50W for protection from rodents and other seed-eating mammals, and it is as effective as the two chemicals previously recommended for field or nursery sowing, sublimed synthetic anthraquinone and Arasan 75. The new repellent contains the same active ingredient- -thiram- -as Arasan 75, but it is formulated as a finely ground water suspension instead of a wettable powder. It contains 4 pounds of active material per gallon, and apparently the suspension can be stored indefinitely if it is not allowed to freeze. There is no dust during seed treating, and when it is properly applied the repellent mixture forms a relatively hard seedcoating that releases a minimum of dust after drying., It resists weathering better than coatings of the other two repellent materials, and it does not affect field germination of longleaf, slash, or loblolly pine seeds.

Download this file:

Download this file

Details

Author(s): Harold J. Derr

Publication: Tree Planters' Notes - Issue 61 (1963)