Essential oils are well known for their antimicrobial activity as well as their toxicity against insect pests and weeds. We are investigating the potential use of plant essential oils as seed treatments to improve management of soybean diseases caused by Fusarium, Pythium, Sclerotinia and Macrophomina. We are screening essential oils for their fungicidal or fungistatic activity in vitro and collaborating with biosystems engineers to develop an seed treatment formulation that will be evaluated as a disease management tool