PLANT DISEASES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 49, 26 January 1939, Page 8

PLANT DISEASES

TRANSFER OF DIVISION. AN IMPORTANT CHANGE. Eleven years of very important activities at Palmerston North by t.he Plant Diseases Division of the Plant Research Bureau have come officially to an end at this centre, for this institution, with its complete personnel ail'd equipment, is being transferred to its future headquarters at Auckland immediately. The transfer involves a very valuable library and herbarium, the latter having the most unique collection of fungi in Australia and New Zealand. Built up by this particular research section, it contains specimens which are irreplaceable, and it is a matter of gratification to the staff that at last they will be housed in a fireproof building. Throwing the searchlight of preventive science on problems which have in some cases threatened to ruin producing industries in the Dominion, the division lias, ever since it came to Palmerston North, functioned in two old cottages in Princess Street, opposite the Technical School. Prom this building have emanated, in consequence of tlie investigations carried out, disease control measures which have saved the producers of the Dominion hundreds of thousands of pounds. From its inception it has been under the direction of Dr G. H. Cunningham, who for the past two years lias been stationed at Auckland pending the establishment there of the new headquarters, which are now ready for occupation. Aiennwhile Mr J. C. Neill, assistant-director and Government mycologist, has carried on at this centre, but goes to Auckland on Saturday.

Mr Neill represented tlie department at tlie Imperial Mycologieal Conference in England in 1934, and eighteen months ago paid a visit to Australia. He lias specialised on fungi diseases and, prior to tlie appointment of Dr T. R. Vernon, carried out the investigation of cheese moulds for the dairy mycologieal section at Massey Agricultural College. NEW RYEGRASS PROBLEM.

An interesting phase of the present activities of the Plant Diseases Division is ail investigation into low germination of ryegrass seed. This trouble lias liecome very bail and is causing concern regarding the crops this season. It is a peculiar problem not recorded elsewhere, aid has been given the name “blind-seed” disease. Its life history has been traced with a view to the introduction of control measures, as its incidence has largely been ■ responsible for tlie high price of ryegrass. It is a significant matter to seed-growing areas like the Alaiiawatu, Hawke’s Bay, Canterbury and Southland.

The development of the biological service lias undergone several interesting phases. Originally under tlie Department of Agriculture, it was first established at Weraroa and then as a biological laboratory at Wellington. This included the mycologieal, entomological, botanical, plant-breeding and seed-testing activities under the_ one roof. As the demand, for its activities grew, a move was made to Palmerston North, still under the Department of Agriculture, which then had its fields division headquarters at this centre. Tile Plant Research Station was then established here under the direction of Air A. H. Cockayne, now Di-rector-General of Agriculture. Tlie units of tin's organisation consisted of tiie mycologieal section in Princess Street, tiie grasslands section, which now has its own buildings at Massey College, the seed-testing station, which lias now developed into an important Government activity at Palmerston Nortii under the control of the Department of Agriculture, tlie plant-breeding section under Air AV. Hadfield, and the experimental section under Air A. W. Hudson. The object then was to secure close co-ord-ination under a unified control, and to work with tile New Zealand University through Alassey College. NEW POLICY ADOPTED. Seven years later another reorganisation took place, when it was decided to divide tlie Plant Research Station into its component units, certain of them to constitute the Plant Research Bureau and the others to remain with the Department of Agriculture. A policy of decentralisation was carried out by' moving the agronomy (plantbreeding) section to Lincoln College, Canterbury, the entomological section to tiie Cawthron Institute at Nelson, the botany section to Wellington, tlie mycologieal section to Auckland. a change which is now taking effect, and to allow the grasslands section to remain at Palmerston North ns the Grasslands Division, which has its own facilities on the Alassey College property. GROAVTH OP WOOL.

Originally a staff of four was trans ferred to Palmerston North from Wellington. Besides Dr Cunningham and Mr Neill there was Mr W. D. Reid, plant bacteriologist who is now in Edinburgh, engaged in special research into tl«* nodule organisms of lucerne. The fourth staff member was Mr R. B. Bryan, now at Auckland, where he is in charge of the identification of disease specimens forwarded from all parts of New Zealand for advice and methods of control, for the Plant Diseases Division gives an im]>ortant field service in addition to its special research activities, and examines samples of imported lines forwarded by port inspection authorities

There are now sixteen staff members, research activities having been enlarged considerably. Much work has been done in the investigation of orchard diseases and the certification of orchard spray materials, placing this on a more o.xact basis than ever it has been, and direct research has been undertaken into the control of diseases in every kind of crop, particularly with club-root and dry-rot of swedes, in which the work is as advanced as that anywhere in the world, and also into virus diseases of tomatoes, potatoes and tobacco. New Zealand producers have available to them the most up-to-date information on disease control methods. WHITE BUTTERFLY CONTROL.

Maintaining contact with the principal plant disease stations of the world, notably the Imperial Mycological Bureau at Hew, London, the New Zealand division is an important organisation functioning as actively as similar institutions in any part of the world. The incidence of diseases is constantly increasing, and the control work has expanded accordingly. It was at the premises in Princess Street that Mr J. W. Muggeridge, Government entomologist, developed by the importation and cultivation of suitable attacking parasites,.'which were distributed from this centre, the measures which have been proving so successful in coping with the white butterfly pest, which a few years ago was spreading rapidly throughout- New Zealand and was a groat menace to all cruciferous crops. Though the whole of the staff, including clerks and t-vpistes, is being transferred to Auckland, Mr G. Gibbs,

who toured the United States under a Harkness Commonwealth Fellowship, will remain at Palmerston North for some time to complete work which he has in hand, ;\fter which the glass-houses and equipment used at Massey College for plant disease investigations will bo banded over to the Grasslands Division. Mr K. Chamberlain (assistant mycologist) recently went to Auckland, and Mr A. Lyall, the laboratory assistant at present in charge of the lucerne cultures which are sent to all parts of New Zealand, goes this week-end. The new headquarters of the Plant Diseases Division at Mount Albert are in a very modern air-conditioned laboratory building, consisting of two storeys and a, basement, and surrounded bv a 16-acre experimental area. Tt will be the most up-to-date laboratory in New Zealand or Australia.