EXPORT OF SEED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19803, 3 December 1938, Page 7

EXPORT OF SEED

RESEARCH BY STATE , DRYING PROBLEM SOLVED CONTROL OC LHJNGUfci The Government is engaged in scientific research in the drying of seed for overseas transport. Details of these activities were given by the Minister in charge of the Scientific and Industrial Research Department, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, in an interview. The Minister said that interesting and important experiments on the drying of seed for transport overseas had been in progress for the last few months and had been developed to a stage of commercial usefulness. There was a considerable export trade in seeds from New Zealand to England, the United States of America, and Australia, and difficulty had been experienced in the past owing to loss of, germinating power through high moisture content of the seed and the condition of transport. As a result of experiments carried out by his department, said the Minister, a method of drying seed to a low moisture content for transport, without subsequent loss of germination, had been worked out and had reached the point where a commercial machine was under design to treat 10001 b of seed an hour. An Obscure Fungus

"Farmers saving perennial ryegrass for seed purposes have in the past occasionally suffered serious losses through the seed losing its germinating power, owing to the attack of an obscure fungus,” Mr. Sullivan explained. “As a result of investigations carried out by the Plant Diseases Division of the Plant Research Bureau, in co-operation with the seed testing stating of the Department of Agriculture, it would appear that successful means of combating this trouble are soon likely to be available. The disease has been found not only on seed raised in New Zealand, but also on that imported from overseas, and is due to a fungus which has hitherto not been recognised apparently anywhere in the world.

"Under laboratory conditions the fungus appears to become weakened and probably dies out altogether on thoroughly dry ryegrass seed stored for a period of some 12 months. Storage of infected ryegrass for such a period before sowing would therefore probably save a newly established field from infection.

“On the old-established fields, the prevention of seeding for one or two years, either by hard grazing or by mowing would appear also to reduce sources of infection. Preliminary laboratory findings which show distinct promise will be tried out under actual field conditions.”