BLIND SEED DISEASE

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29401, 31 December 1960, Page 7

BLIND SEED DISEASE

Incidence In Ryegrass Up till yesterday a sub-station of the seed- testing station of the Department of Agriculture, which is operating at Timaru, had received about 700 samples of ryegrass from all parts of the South Island for testing for blind seed disease. The officer in charge of the sub-station, Miss D. Johnson, said yesterday that generally the level of infection had been reasonably low but it was a little too early yet to be too definite on this, as the maturity of the seed was not yet far advanced. Compared with last season there seemed to be a similar degree of infection, she said. Blind seed disease is a fungus disease which kills the seed and testing indicates to the farmer whether it is worth his while harvesting his crop. Up till Wednesday when 450 samples had been tested, 25 per cent, of samples of perennial ryegrass had shown no infection at all, about 40 per cent, of samples a trace, 20 per cent, onetenth infection and 10 per cent, a greater infection than onetenth. The highest infection so far recorded in perennial ’ ryegrass is six-tenths. Miss Johnson said that' the average level of infection in Italian and short rotation ryegrasses was from nil to a trace. The highest infection in these samples was two-tenths. Maturity Reporting on the relative stage of maturity, Miss Johnson said thta perennial ryegrass from North and Mid-Canterbury was nearly mature, from South Canterbury in the middle stage of maturity and further south it was from middle stage to less mature. Short rotation and Italian from North Canterbury was in the middle stage of maturity, from South Canterbury about middle stage and further south it was immature to middle stage. Last season the sub-station handled 1500 samples. This season it expects to have to test more samples. Five analysts are working at the station. Miss Johnson said that some of the samples reaching the station could be wrapped better. They should be well wrapped in newspaper and clearly marked with the name, address and telephone number of the sender. In some cases barely enough heads have been sent in for testing. A sample should comprise a sheaf of heads about the size of a man’s wrist and these should be picked at random across a paddock as there could be a variation in infection within a paddock.