LUCERNE EXPERIMENTS.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 4830, 7 May 1914, Page 3

LUCERNE EXPERIMENTS.

WORK AT RUAKURA. One of the .features of the presentday activities of the Ruakura Farm of Instruction, reports the Journal of Agriculture, is the work of improving acclimatized varieties of lucerne to ascertain the best for local conditions, and of securing by selection and control strains of greater productivity and constitution. It is only a few years ijince the work of ascertaining whether lucerne would grow successfully at Ruakura was undertaken, but the experimentation stage has passed. Lucerne is thriving under the several extreme variations to he found on the property—in the rich humus soil of the nursery, on tile poor reclaimed swamp fields (an unkind pipeclay soil resting on an iron pan), and on the highest portion of the low-lying hills which intersect the farm. To see the lucerne plots and fields at Ruakura is at once to appreciate the enthusiasm of the manager and his staff for the great fodder plant, and to realise the possibilities in this country of intensive farming with such a plant havng a suitable environment over the greater area of the Dominion. Convinced that lucerne will soon take a permanent place in New Zealand farm economy, the manager of the farm, Mr Primrose McConnell, and the plant-breeding officer, Mr A. AY. Green, are intent on an active campaign in selecting and breeding improved types of the plant for New Zealand conditions, and in furthering lucerne-growing among farmers coming under their influence. A section of the nursery at the Ruakura Farm of Instuction is exclusively devoted to the testing of the leading varieties of lucerne, as well as to the important work of selecting plants, exhibiting improved characters or resistance to disease. There are seventeen plots in all, and sixteen varieties are under observation. There are eighteen type-improvement second year trials, while twenty-five more trials are in their first year. M any of I the tests have been in progress for five years, and valuable work has already been accomplished. When the singlehead selections were initiated four years ago fifty individual plants of the Peruvian variety wtwo selected for robustness of type. Of these, forty-nine were finally eliminated. From the single outstanding plant retained there are now over 12(X) plants isolated for comparative purposes (and growing alongside established commercial varieties) and for seed-produc-tion. Although this selection is an undoubted improvement on the orgiginal type, it cannot lie claimed to exhibit any superiority over Hunter River in regard to productiveness, though less susceptible to leaf-spot; but at tlie time the testing-wok was commenced the Peruvian was the only variety being grown at the farm. The Peruvian variety is rather subject to leaf-spot, hut by selecting plants found to he free of this trouble there has been established a strain which is a vast improvement in this respect on the original type. The comparison at the present time between the original plot, with its many patches of affected foliage and generally poor leafage, and the selected strain, immediately alongside, is most striking. The latter shows a splendid vigorous growth. These two plots afford a very good idea of the great possibilities in plant-selection work, and have proved a ninteresting subject of study to many visiting farmers. The selected strain has a smaller leaf and a thinner stem, the latter character being of some importance from a haymaking viewpoint, as it implies a minimum of fibrous material. A further endeavour to obtain improved strain of the colonial (Marlborough)' variety, by means of singleplant selections, is giving encouraging results. AA’ith six plants obtained from one head of seed two were found to be absolutely free of leaf-spot, and were particularly vigorous; thus only two plants out of six were found to possess the desired character. These two plants are to be protected from cross-pollination, with the object "of securing a pure improved type. In testing lucerne varieties it is quite impossible to obtain any accurate idea of their respective productiveness by cutting the plots at the one time. Each plot must ho cut and weighed immediately it has reached its best feed-ing-stage. For instance, Peruvian and Arabian mature much more rapidly 1 than other varieties tested, and consequently will give more cuts during j the season. Thus the heavier yields 1 of some other varieties may be coun-ter-balanced when the whole season's j returns are estimated, j A study of the many single plant selections gives a fair idea of the great, variation with in the one variety and the consequent possibilities in plant-

breeding intelligently directed. Tt may be remarked that leaf spot gives little trouble when the lucerne plant is frequently cut or fairly closely grazed. The tendency, however, probably indicates a weakness in constitution, a tendency which if eliminated by breeding only from resistant typos should iead to the securing of a race of improved vigour and productiveness. It lias been noticed in this season of 'general susceptibility to blight and fungoid disease that leaf spot has attacked even the stems of lucerne varieties prone to attack, a fact which emphasises the necessity of only using types resistant to disease. AA’hen it is considered that singleplant selection—choosing by keen observation plants exhibiting some superior quality, not the intricate and more problematical “plant-breeding 1 ’ system—is a reliable key to plant improvement. just as it has been for a century or more in the animal kingdom), there is every encouragement for even the farmer to take up this ineresting and profitable study Obviously, if the work of expert plantbreeders were supplemented by individual observers throughout the Dominion, the good results which would inevitably follow in the train of these united efforts would have a vast influence in raising the productive ’ alue of our agricultural plants. Already, it is gratifying to know, many farmers who interest themselves in the plantselection of Ruakura are co-operating in forwarding to Mr Green exceptional plants which come under their observation, realising that though they cannot give the time and close application demanded to attain the best results they can at least render good service by co-operating with the specialist.