SEED FOR PASTURES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20668, 13 September 1930, Page 13

SEED FOR PASTURES.

IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY.

INFLUENCE ON PRODUCTIVITY,

CERTIFICATION OF RYEGRASS

The possibility of an cNl.en.sivc and lucrative export trade in true perennial ryegrass being built up is one of a number of interesting points touched on in the annual report 011 the work of the plant research station at Palmerston North, which has junt been issued by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. Tlio importance of farmers being ablo to securo supplies of the best types of seed for their pastures is stressed. As much attention should bo paid to strain in grasses and clovers as to the livestock which are to consume (ho herbage, the report stales. In the major grasses and clovers—rye, cocksfoot, while and red clover—there are strains that tend to lie permanent and of high-leaf production and others that tend to bo non-persistent and low in leaf production. It is essential in a grazing country such as New Zealand that the main types should be grazing ones, but unfortunately this is not by any means the case, and the main grassland work of the research station is being directed to remedying this weakness.

Efficient Feeding Essential.

Both with tho plant and the animal, tho main objective of management is efficient feeding and tho better tho animal and tho plant tho greater will bo the return for efficient feeding. Tho majority of tho so-called perennial ryegrasses sold in New Zealand represent bad strains, being of low persistency, unsuitable for grazing and giving a low return for their feed expenditure, the report says. Ilowover, there arc a number that represent true perennial, and it is obvious that they should be used by tho farmer.

A system of perennial ryegrass certification lias been devised whereby the true perennial seed crops can be separated from the false and during the year certification was given to 20,000 bushels. Not nearly enough is being harvested to meet Now Zealand's requirements and it is held to be essential that this position should be remedied as quickly as possible.

Value ol Certification.

Certification should enable (his to bo brought about within a very few years, with immense benefit to New Zealand grassland farming: In addition, as New Zealand is likely within a few years to be tho only country producing appreciable quantities of true perennial ryegrass, an extensive and lucrative export trade should be built up. The first stage is tho elimination of bad rye, tho next st'ago is tho supplying of specially-culled material for certification and tho final stage is the certification of genetically pure material. White clover has not yet reached the same stage as ryegrass, although a system of certification of crops established for more than five years has been put into operation. It has been proved that in certain parts of New Zealand white clover types exist that are of outstanding merit and will become dominant irrespective of what othor whito clover seed may bo in the ground. Types are being defined and the best crops located so that certification similar to that of ryegrass can bo put into operation.

Classification ol Results,

Tho results from the grass and clover strain work of tho station so far have been:—(l) That there are many outstanding pastures of .perennial ryegrass in New Zealand, the use of tho seed from which would revolutionise grassland farming in many parts of the Dominion; (2) there are many outstanding pastures of whito clover in New Zealand; (3) the quickest way to got supplies of grazing red clovers is to make use of imported strains which are at present available; (4) local cocksfoot is vastly superior to imported, but whether outstanding pastures of cocksfoot exist that can be put under a certification scheme such as is being adopted for ryegrass is rot known. Much valuable work is being done on the feeding of pastures with artificial manures and the really important result that has come out is that fertiliser response and its payableness are very frequently linked with the strain of grass or clover being top-dressed. Where the strain is bad, top-dressing may not be at all payable, but on tho samo ground where the strain is good highly payable yields will result. Tho value of nitrogen whero tho rye present is of a perennial type has been most marked.