ORCHARD DISEASE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22155, 8 July 1935, Page 11

ORCHARD DISEASE

CAUSE OF "CORKY PIT" i INSUFFICIENT BORON : ] "Corky Pit," a disease of fruit trees of hitherto unknown origin, which has . been prevalent in the Nelson district for upwards of 20 years, has been successfully investigated by Mr. J. D. Atkinson, of the staff of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, and Dr. H. 0. Askew, of the Cawthron Institute. The department states that experiments have proved that boron deficiency is the cause of the disease. It is anticipated that the Nelson results will have a wide application not only in the Nelson district but in other parts of the world where fruit culture is widely established. The director of the Cawthron *lnstitute, Mr. T. Rigg, states that the importance of the establishment of boron deficiency on Nelson apple soils cannot be over-estimated. It must not be assumed, however, he says, that the end of the investigations has been reached. On the contrary, there is urgent need for adequate financial support both for the field side of the investigational work and for the very necessary chemical investigations. On the field side many difficulties must be surmounted before orchardists could use with safety boron compounds in the treatment of apple trees. An excess, as well as a deficiency, of boron, Mr. Rigg states, is harmful.