BLIND SEED DISEASE

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28512, 15 February 1958, Page 9

BLIND SEED DISEASE

“One Of Worst Seasons” This is probably one of the worst seasons for blind seed disease in ryegrass experienced in the South Island, according to the agronomist with the Department of Agriculture in Timaru (Mr W. V. Hadfield). Each year a team of seed analysts from the seed testing station at Palmerston North is stationed at Timaru to examine samples of ryegrass submitted by farmers in order to give them z an indication of the amount of disease present in their crops. This service helps farmers in deciding whether their crops are worth harvesting or not. “This season up to the time of harvest 80 per cent, of the perennial ryegrass samples tested have shown an infection of threetenths or greater,” said Mr Hadfield. Although short rotation and Italian ryegrass were not normally affected to the same extent as perennial ryegrass the degree of infection had been extremely high there as well. At present 50 per cent, of samples tested had shown an infection of 3/10 or greater, he said. Low Germination “It is obvious that a high proportion of crops in the South Island is not worth harvesting because of the low germination that would result from seed harvested,” Mr Hadfield said. Blind seed disease is a fungus that attacks seed crops of ryegrass and seriously affects the germination of seed. It is particularly prevalent in wet seasons and especially under humid conditions. Mr Hadfield said, that in recent years jt had been noticed that thin standing crops appeared to be heavily affected by the disease. For that reason farmers liked to see their crops flat and although that presented difficulties at harvest it had been found that heavily lodged crops appeared to be less affected by the disease. “This year weather conditions were ideal for the spread of the disease,” said Mr Hadfield. “Crops were thin and standing. The first signs of infection were noticed in December and there has been a steady build-up since.”

In the six months ended in December, the total butterfat processed by the 14 factories in Canterbury was 5,957,0001 b, which was a decline of 2.1 per cent, on the 6,082,0001 b processed in the same period of the 1956-57 season. Production for the final six months of last year was, however, 2.3 per cent, above the five-year average for the, 1952-53 to 1956-57 period.