SWEDE DISEASE

Southland Times, Issue 22915, 13 June 1936, Page 8

SWEDE DISEASE

Method Of Control Discovered (United Press Association.) Masterton, June 12. The Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. W. Lee Martin) made an announcement to-day about the prevalence and methods of control of disease attacking swedes. He said that the disease known as mottled heart, or brown heart, of swedes had become extremely troublesome during the past season. Much attention had been paid overseas to a similar disease and satisfactory control measures had been suggested. The Fields Division of the Department of Agriculture had followed up the overseas work by carrying out experiments in various parts of the Dominion. and although the results were not yet complete they were sufficiently encouraging to permit him to make a statement. “The treatment which has been put under triSl and which has been found very satisfactory by the Fields Division consists of applying 101 b per acre of ordinary commercial borax to the land at the time of sowing,” said the Minister. “A deficiency of boron in' the soil apparently is the cause of a number of diseases of crops, and it is of interest to farmers to know that such a simple and cheap remedy is so effective in controlling this particular disease of swedes. In order to facilitate the application of such a small quantity of borax, it is considered that material can be mixed with the fertilizer without loss of efficiency from the treatment. Too great a concentration of borax should be avoided. If the manure is being sown in contact with the seed, and where the crop is being sown by means of a ridger, which allows of the fertilizer being sown both with and below the seed, the borax should be mixed with the fertilizer being delivered not actually in contact with the seed, so as to avoid a germination injury. Where turnips are sown under the usual methods, there appears to be no danger of such an injury if not more than 41b of borax is mixed with each hundredweight of fertilizer.