Abstract
SUMMARY: Sugar‐beet seed treated with I% (v/w) of 1.2% ethyl mercuric phosphate (EMP) solution applied as a mist gave seedling emergence in the field and final plant stand comparable to those of seed treated by 40 ppm EMP steep. However, when the mist‐treated seed was stored after treatment, phytotoxic effects sometimes developed; consequently the treatment is not considered a suitable replacement for the EMP steep, now given to all sugar‐beet seed in Britain.