A NEW VARIETY OF TURNIPS

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30478, 27 June 1964, Page 8

A NEW VARIETY OF TURNIPS

npHE Crop Research x Division at Lincoln seems to have made an important step forward in breeding a virus resistant or tolerant turnip. It is expected that some seed of the variety will be available for sowing in trials on farms early next year and more substantial supplies of seed for more general distribution should be available for sowing by at least early in 1967.

Many farmers would like to have turnips with bulbs the size of those being held by Mr T. P. Palmer, a plant breeder at the division, in the accompanying photograph on this page. There is a striking contrast between these virus-tolerant turnips and a variety trial containing local and European varieties at the division this winter.

The locally-used varieties in this trial are Green Globe and York Globe and they are as good as any of the European varieties, but they, are all highly susceptible to the virus and the variety trial area is now virtually bare ground, most Of the bulbs having rotted away. About 90 per cent of the Green Globe and York Globe plants have died.

By comparison there is a magnificent collection of bulbs in the tolerant variety. Some of these are real giants. Work on the breeding of this variety began about six or seven years ago. Mr Palmer cannot say exactly what has gone into the development of this new variety. There is some Calder swede, some Green Globe,’ and even some wild turnip. Radiation has also been used. A little bit of resistance to the virus has been obtained here and there and Mr Palmer thinks that the inter-crossing that has gone on has resulted in a build-up of the resistance or tolerance to the stage where, although only 3 per cent of the plants do not show symptoms of the virus, only 25 per cent have died from the virus and the degree

of tolerance is obviously very high.

Seed will be harvested In late December or early January and this seed will only be taken from obviously tolerant or resistant plants of reasonable vigour and this should result in a farther improvement in tolerance. This seed will go into co-operative trials next season between farmers, the Department of Agriculture and the Crop Research Division. When seed from these trials is harvested there may be enough for much wider distribution in 1966, but there should certainly be enough seed for very widespread sowing in 1967.

Although no yield measurements have been taken yet, Mr Palmer is confident that the variety will yield equally as well as a virus-free crop. The new variety will be particularly welcomed in Canterbury and North Otago, where incidence of virus is generally worst, and on lighter soils it should again make it possible to grow a reasonable crop of turnips. About 80,000 acres of turnips are grown in Canterbury.