Shelter, Barley, Protein Extraction

Press, Issue 32535, 19 February 1971, Page 14

Shelter, Barley, Protein Extraction

The effects, of shelter and irrigation on crop production, barley breeding and leaf protein extraction were topics that received attention in the course of a field day held at the Crop Research Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research at Lincoln this month.

Dr J. W. Sturrock, leader of the agrometeorology section, is studying the effect of wind and shelter on growth and yield of different field and process crops. His aim is to provide basic information for Crop Research Division breeders to produce higher yielding crop varieties with improved adaptation either to wind exposure or to take greater advantage of sheltered conditions. Reaction to wind protection was shown to be much affected by both species of crop and individual varieties. Yield increases due to shelter have varied from nil to 600 per cent, depending on the crop concerned. Dr Sturrock is also working on the interaction between shelter and irrigation. He said that because of direct physical damage to plants by wind, irrigation could never completely compensate for shelter. Dr Sturrock’s third objective is to study the effect of different shelter belts on airflow and plant microclimate. In this way he hopes to determine the most effective types and layouts for crop shelter. Dr Sturrock pointed out that due to their excellent growth rate, poplars could be much more widely used for shelter in Canterbury. He also stressed the importance of correct length and orientation of shelter belts to give the most efficient use of shelter. Finally, Dr Sturrock pointed out that artificial wind breaks, available overseas but not yet readily available in New Zealand, might be used economically in producing high value horticultural crops. Artificial shelter was also of definite value as temporary protection for shelter belt trees during establishment, Dr Sturrock added. While visitors were inspecting the barley breeding trials. Mr L. G. Copp and Mr G. M. Wright spoke of the main aims in barley breeding for the malting industry. Strong straw, high yield, good malting quality and disease resistance were the main factors mentioned. Mr J. P. Malcolm, of the Canterbury Malting Company, said that 55,000 acres.

or one third of the total area of barley grown in New Zealand, was now grown on contract for malting purposes. This season 25 per cent of the area growing malting barley was planted in the new variety Zephyr. Mr Malcolm added that in ' some cases Zephyr had outyielded the more commonly used varieties, Research and Kenya, by 17 per cent. When questioned about the benefits of applying artificial nitrogen to barley crops, Mr Malcolm replied that Department of Agriculture trials had shown no significant yield advantages from nitrogen application where barley was grown as part of an accepted crop rotation. Mr Malcolm did, however, stress that when nitrogen was applied it wquld not necessarily lower the malting quality of the barley. Finally, Mr R. I. Mulholland demonstrated the symptoms of loose smut disease in barley. He told of a new chemical, Vitavax, which will control loose smut disease more easily and effectively than hot water seed treatment. Mr Mulholland said that because of the ease of vitavax seed treatment, a greater amount of grain for seed production could be treated in the future, rather than just nucleus stock as had been the case in the past A demonstration of leaf protein extraction by Dr R. M. Allison and Mr J. Brusse stimulated a great deal of interesting discussion. Dr Allison said that under conventional grazing techniques the efficiency of converting leaf protein to animal protein was as low as 4 per cent. He and Dr E. W. Vartha went on to show that protein extraction could provide a means of very efficiently utilising the large acreages of lucerne now grown in the South Island. Dr Allison said that during the average annual growth period of a lucerne crop producing five tons of dry matter per acre, half a ton of crude leaf protein per acre could be extracted.

Purified this could yield a quarter ton of protein suitable for human consumption. . The crude leaf protein would be suitable for use in pig and poultry foods. Dr Allison visualises that lucerne for protein extraction could be transported to a central processing plant in much the same way as milk is. Dr Vartha said that the fibre which is left after protein extraction makes an excellent stock-food, comparable in value to lucerne hay—-the. sheep present for the demonstration certainly appeared to enjoy it. Dr Allison said that the “whey” remaining after protein precipitation could also prove valuable to the food yeast industry.

After afternoon tea, there was a lively general discussion during which Dr K. F. O’Connor, Director of the Tussock Grasslands and Mountain Lands Institute, said he was distressed to see that although technological advances in irrigation have been great, the Crop Research Division was still not breeding plants suited to a good moisture regime. In summing up at the end of the field day, Mr F. Dodson, a well-known vegetable grower from Blenheim, expressed regret that more growers were not present at the field day. He said that with the financial situation developing in New Zealand being so much against agriculture, the farmer must use all the research information that he could obtain.