POTATO RESEARCH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18455, 17 January 1922, Page 6

POTATO RESEARCH

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN LONDON. WHERE THE SOOTS EXCEL, i , (From ,Ode Own Correspondent.) LONDON, November 30. British and foreign delegates have met I at an International Potato Conference, and the trade and the Government co-operated in the most representative show -of potatoes ever seen. One of the curiosities was a little collection of tubers representing the history of the last 100 years. The strangest fact that emerged from the collection was that, after, a century of expert work, the yield of the potato had not been increased by so much as half a bushel. “Village blacksmith,” which, is little, rough, and round, and “Yarn;” which is purple, and eccentric in shape, and survives only iiv the Orkneys, gave as ' good yields as Britain’s best. What the scientific growers have done is vastly to increase what an enthusiast called “the personal beauty” of the potatoes, makinsr them big and smooth and regular, and proof against disease. ... ' In spite of the dry season, which is particularly unfavourable to the growth of potatoes, a wonderful collection of tubers was got together. Of the great trade groups the premier award was carried off by Messrs Debbie and Co., of Edinburgh, who were able to, announce that all the potatoes they exhibited were actually grown in their own trial, grounds. Sir A. Griffith-Boscawen, President of the Board‘of Agriculture and Fisheries, presided at the opening banquet given by the eminent'when representatives , were presesnt from Belgian®, Denmark,. France, Greece, Holland, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland, in' addition to India, New South Wales, Queensland; ; Western Australia, Tasmania, and Canada Ih proposing the health, of the guests the chairman urged the importance of scientific research into the growth of the potato and the check of disease among potatoes. He, was N told that 20 per cent, of the food of Europeens and English-speaking people consisted of potatoes. Indeed, the failure of the potato crop meant a national disaster. It sometimes reflected upon the whole course of history; as in the case of the Irish failure |in 1840. In 1920, 30,000,000 acres throughout the world were under potatoes. .Of These Germany accounted for 6.000,000, and the United Kingdom , 1.250,000 acres. The potato was afflicted by a catalogue of diseases, and what had to tie done was to try ■to protect the grower'by the application of science. This country was threatened very severely with the ravages' of the wart disease, which was. not yet understood. It appeared to be inherent in the soil, and so far no means had been found of sterilising the soil and so removing the germ from it. What they had been able to do was to produce a number of potatoes immune from the disease and not susceptible to it. He paid a tribute to tßjpse who had worked, at this most difficult problem, and, at Ormskirk, had produced wonderful immune varieties, which appeared to be the salvation of the potato crop in'this, country. Among the scientific exhibits in connection with the conference is an interesting collection of photographs of the diseases that attack the potato and of the parasites that cause them. This came from the Department of Agriculture for Ireland. Dr Salaman, of Royston, and Mr J. W. Lesley, of‘ the Plant Breeding Institute at Cambridge, sent an exhibit to ‘ illustrate th° breeding of colour in potatoes. They ber lieve that there are factors which inhibjt, colour and change dark purple into beetrootrod, vcrniilHon-red, and white. The Dutch Potato Research Laboratory at Wageningen sent an exhibit to illustrate “mosaic” and “leaf curl” diseases, which are probably the cause of the deterioration of commercial varieties. The Scottish Society for Research in Plant Breeding showed a series of new varieties, each with a long pedigree.; and the Cambridge station showed the results of crossing “Up-to-date” with the immune variety “Leinster Wonder.” , Though the conference was essentially international, the that prevailed in discussions was the Scottish dialect. One foreign delegate said that he found it rather easier to undenstand than English. If the conference has proved nothing else it (has demonstrated that, the Scottish people have made the seed potato their own; and. that Ormskirk, Lancs, /is < the finest scientific centre in the world. •' , | l