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Distribution of Phenyl Mercuric Chloride labelled with Mercury-203, applied as a Seed Dressing, in the Tissues of the Young Carnation Plant

Abstract

ORGANO-MERCURY compounds are good fungicides; they are applied to oat seeds to control Helminthosporium infection1, to Narcissus bulbs to control Fusarium oxysporum 2 rot and to gladiolus corms to prevent disease caused by Sclerotina gladioli 3. However, the mercury compound may damage the plant; growth of oat seedlings is less than normal when phenyl mercuric acetate is applied to the soil to protect seed4. Experiments described here illustrate the way in which damage to seedlings may occur when phenyl mercuric chloride is used as seed dressing to control rot in carnation seedlings.

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ROBSON, J., FENN, P. Distribution of Phenyl Mercuric Chloride labelled with Mercury-203, applied as a Seed Dressing, in the Tissues of the Young Carnation Plant. Nature 189, 501–503 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1038/189501a0

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