CHILLED WHEAT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22422, 17 November 1934, Page 3

CHILLED WHEAT

EFFECTIVE SEED TREATMENT EXPERIMENTS IN SYDNEY Much has been heard and read in recent years of chilled beef and its advantages over the frozen product. Little, however, has been heard of chilled wheat, and most New Zealand growers will probably be surprised to learn that, in one season, 250.000 acres of Russian wheat land were sown with chilled grain. In particular areas this has resulted in a marked increase in yield (states the Wheatgrower). ■ . „ • , Wheat chilling differs essentially—-both in motive and execution—from the system applied to meat. With the latter low temperatures are employed as a preservative factor; with the former, however, the chilling is part of a process termed “vernalisation/’ designed primarily to hasten maturity and increase yields. VALUE OF SYSTEM. Some interesting facts concerning this new process were related recently to the Sydney University Agriculture Graduates' Association by Mr J. G.

Churchward, who expressed the opinion I that, as yet, the value of the system must be regarded as entirely speculative. Mr Churchward explained that for many years scientists had been studying the environmental conditions, such as light, temperature, and moisture, on plant growth and development. Recently, Russian workers at the Ukraine Institute for Plant Breeding, Odessa, had elaborated a method of seed treatment, known as vernalisation, which resulted in earlier maturity and higher yielding crops. The possibility of the application of vernalisation was based on the assumption that there were two distinct phases in the life of a plant—growth and development. Growth embraced, an increase in size and weight, and development embodied differentiation of the plant i parts, including reproduction. The investigators held that these stages did not necessarily coincide. A further factor influencing these particular research workers was the belief that processed influencing reproduction began with the germination of the seed. Wheat, which was a “ long-day ” plant, was vernalised by holding germinating grain at the low temperatures of from one to five degrees centigrade for at least 15 days. “Short-day” plants, .like maize ■ and sorghum, were treated by subjecting the gram to temperatures between 25 to ! 30 degrees centigrade in darkness for , from eight to 16 days, provision being , made to prevent excessive spouting of the , grain. “ In Russia, during 1932,” Mr Church- | ward continued, “ about 250,000 acres ; were sown with chilled wheat. In certain districts of the Ukrainian steppes 1 more than 40 per cent, increase in yield . was obtained. Burliness was essential . in these' parts, as high summer temperatures were liable to damage the wheat ' just before coming into ear. The method seemed to be of greatest value in areas ’ in which the autumn sowing had been “winter killed,” and in areas which had too little or too much moisture. TEMPERATURE CONTROL. “The low temperatures and the longer days prevailing in Russia were more favourable for the use of vernalised grain than the higher temperature, and shorter days obtaining in the principal winter ; wheat-growing areas in the untreated. , The process was of no immediate value to . the practical farmer, mainly on account . of the obvious difficulties of temperature , control.” The speaker described experiments ' carried out at Sydney University which ’ had shown that vernalised wheat of cer- | tain varieties matured earlier than the same types untreated. In the absence of field experimental evidence, on a practical basis, conclusions concerning the np--1 plication of the treatment in Australia 1 must bo speculative. In general, it would seem that the vernalisation would have even less application than in the United 1 States. Beet results could be expected 1 in districts where profitable and success- ; ful crop production was jeopardised by ’ the favourable growing season being too * short. It might find a limited applica- ■ tion in horticulture.