Awards to mark centenary

Press, 12 August 1980, Page 24

Awards to mark centenary

Four more awards have been made by the Lincoln College Foundation, which was established in 1975. to mark the college’s centenary.

Mr Colin Lili, a Canterbury cropping farmer, has already left New Zealand to look at the latest practical developments in grass seed production in the United States and Canada.

In Washington and Saskatchewan he will also study management skills for growing lentils, a product which could make a valuable addition to New Zealand’s cropping.

Irrigation engineering will be the field of study of Mr Graham Harrington, an engineer of the Ministry of Agriculture, who will spend next year in the United States investigating the integration of computers into the practical and efficient use of irrigation- water. One project involves a soil probe to gather moistture information in the field. This, when recorded and analysed alongside climatic information, facilitates minimum use of water and energy while keeping plant growth and production at a high level. Planning of irrigation for a season can also be developed, which would be most valuable where water for irrigation is limited and must be stored during the winter for use during the summer. Fencing to ensure best possible pasture management, highest animal production, use in horticulture, will also be aided by

studies of wood preservatives to be made in Britain by Mr Peter Vinden a scientist with the Forest Research Institute at Rotorua. His work at he Imperial College of Science and Technology will largely concern ways in which primary producers can preserve their own timber on their own properties. The other award has been made to Dr Robin Scott, a scientist at the Invermay Agricultural Research Centre, who will in the middle of next year study a legume that may be superior to white clover in certain parts of New Zealand. It is lotus, which has already shown promise, particularly in the tussock hill country of the South Island.

In some cases lotus has been producing three times as much as clover, but little is known about its establishment in hill country or how it should be grazed. More also needs to be known about the growth rate and general production of animals grazing it. Dr Scott will study these aspects of the plant. Since late in 1978 the foundation has made 17 awards. Its trustees have an initial fund-raising target of $500,000 and this is now expected to be achieved.

It is expected that two series of awards will be made annually. So far awards have been made to five farmers or horticultural producers, two members of the staff of commercial organisations, two engineers, two foresters and six scientists.