ERADICATION OF NASSELLA

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27670, 28 May 1955, Page 5

ERADICATION OF NASSELLA

BOARD REPORTS ON YEAR’S ACTIVITIES

“The occupiers of large areas of native country should be ever watchful for nassella tussock as, although airborne seed is a menace to relatively clean country, the immediate menace is undetected nassella tussock that is allowed to seed year after year.” This warning is given by the chairman of the North Canterbury Nassella Tussock Board (Mr C. T. White) in his annual report for the yearended March 31, 1955.

"The board seeks' the- co-operation of landowners in the eradication of nassella tussock, and urges them to make every endeavour to comply with notices when served, as failure to meet their requirements forces members, in fairness to those who have co-operated, to take action,” the report says.

“Large scale experiments in the control of nassella tussock by Sodium T.C.A. herbicide have continued with the assistance of a second Government grant of £lO,OOO, and the total expenditure under this heading was £15,006. It provided for the purchase of 52 tons of T.C.A. and the first spraying of 1031 acres and the second treatment of 456 acres. Twenty acres received a third spraying. “Results varied according to weather and other conditions at the time of and subsequent to treatment, and although complete kills of nassella tussock were not general, the control of seeding was excellent. It may be said with certainty that little seed blew from the treated areas. “On the whole, a continuation of this method of control shows promise of neutralising those densely infested areas which, pending eradication, would otherwise continue to spread nassella tussock seed over an everincreasing area. At the same time the search for more effective herbicides and other, ways of eradicating the* weed must be pursued. “Because of the experimental nature of the work undertaken, and the variety of results obtained, it has been found desirable to defer charging landowners with s their share ot the cost until the benefits accruing to them from the T.C.A. treatments can be more fairly assessed. In carrying out this policy, the board has used £3752 of its general funds in addition to the two annual grants of £lO,OOO received from the Government.

“During November last year, members of the inter-departmental committee on nassella tussock visited this and the Marlborough board’s area, and were shown infestations, treated and otherwise, throughout the districts. In discussions which came after these inspections, members of the committee gave the impression that they were satisfied with the work being carried out by this board. “In the field of public relations, co-operation on the part of most landowners has been good, and the general public is in sympathy with the board’s aims. Having regard to the magnitude of the task, relatively few formal notices to clear have been required to enforce compliance with the general policy,” the report says.