TOPDRESSING COCKSFOOT HAS BIG INFLUENCE ON YIELDS OF SEED

Putaruru Press, Volume XXVII, Issue 1373, 27 April 1950, Page 3

TOPDRESSING COCKSFOOT HAS BIG INFLUENCE ON YIELDS OF SEED

Investigations into cocksfoot' seed yields carried out by the grasslands division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research point to the great improvement in yield resulting from the use of sulphate of ammonia as a topdressing. In one trial extending over four years in the Eiffelton district of midCanterbury the yield of machinedressed seed was doubled by the application of three hundredweight of sulphate of ammonia to the acre - one hundredweight in autumn and two hundredweight in spring. In addition the proportion of pure germinating seed in the line was raised by nearly 10 per cent; Individual farmers have already shown to their own satisfaction that topdressing cocksfoot seed areas with sulphate of ammonia pays, and trials carried out by the Department of Agriculture gave further confirmation. Production of cocksfoot seed in New Zealand at present is insufficient to meet the country’s needs, much more provide a margin for export. Prices are high, but even if they were much lower topdressing seed areas with sulphate of ammonia would still pay. The suggestion has been advanced that cocksfoot seed should be imported, but such an uneconomic move" could be avoided by the topdressing of established areas, which would enable ample supplies of better-quality seed to be harvested next season without any increase in acreage. The grasslands division’s trials with cocksfoot have been going on for the past 10 years. Though by no means complete, they have yielded much information that should be of value to cocksfoot growers. The main Conclusions drawn from the trials are summarised in an article in the April issue of the New Zealand Journal of Agriculture.