Why are seed companies switching to Maxim+Apron?
Overall, there is no difference in field performance between Maxim+Apron and Captan+Apron. In some field tests, one combination has been somewhat better than the other, but these differences are not consistent. So why the switch? The answer is in ease and safety of handling. Maxim is used at a much lower rate than Captan (about 25 times lower), and dust is reported to be 80 percent less than with Captan. These characteristics make Maxim easier and safer to handle in seed production operations, and on the farm. Many comparisons have been made between Maxim+Apron and Captan+Apron. We conducted tests in 1995 and 1997 and our results were consistent with those of most other university researchers and seed companies–there were no significant differences between the two combinations (Table 1). In laboratory tests against specific pathogens, some differences between Captan and Maxim can be observed. For example, Maxim appears to be superior against certain strains of Fusarium. There may be o
