RESEARCH ON VEGETABLES WORK AT LINCOLN DESCRIBED

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26538, 28 September 1951, Page 7

RESEARCH ON VEGETABLES

WORK AT LINCOLN DESCRIBED

An illustrated talk on vegetable research now being conduced at Lincoln was given by Muss W. GTPriestly, who is in charge of the vegetable section of the Crop Research Division at Lincoln, to a meeting of the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Humic Compost Society last evening. Miss Priestly said she had come from England four years ago to take over the work at Lincoln. Since then, although progress had been slow, much research had been done in developing strains and seeds ot vegetables that were suitable to New Zealand conditions. Strains and seeds of everv type of vegetable had been imported from overseas. With cross-pollinating, definite results were now at hand.

“Throughout the experiments, close contact has been kept with the commercial grower as to Jois wants and as to what particular type of vegetable he finds most suitable for the market,” Miss Priestly said. "Most of the varieties originated overseas, but a few have been raised in New Zealand. Tomatoes and beans had been developed sufficiently for canning purposes.” To illustrate the work being done. Miss Priestly traced the development of the savoy cabbage from its erosspollinatlon to the time when certain strains were discarded and others kept for planting in isolated places to avoid extermination. The strains were then transplanted into glasshouses and every plant was progeny-tested and later cross-pollinated again until the desired result of a uniform strain was reached. “Through these methods we hope to develop strains of a higher yield that arc superior to any overseas,” she added. After her talk Miss Priestly showed films taken at the vegetable farms at Lincoln.