RYEGRASS TESTS.

Wairarapa Age, 16 July 1931, Page 5

RYEGRASS TESTS.

AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY. LABORATORY METHOD. PALMERSTON N., July 15. A publication of outstanding importance to the ryegrass seed trade and New Zealand farmers in general, detailing the work of Messrs Linehan and Mercer, of the Ministry of Agriculture, Belfast, in perfecting a rapid laboratory method of accurately distinguishing between seeds l of true perennial ryegrass and false perennial ’-nd Italian ryegrass, has recently been received by the Plant Research Station, Palmerston North. This method, with the use of screened ultra-violet rays during germination of the seed, enables the information to be available in a few days that hitherto necessitated extensive field trials, covering many months. The material on which the Irish investigators worked was supplied by the Palmerston. North Plant Research Station and covered all types of ryegrass that were being produced in New Zealand. Mr. Nelson. Foy, of the Plant Research Station, has cheeked up the work of Messrs Linehan and Merger with additional material available here, with complete verification of the Irish results. He is at present perfecting the method, so 'that it will be generally adopted in all ryegrass certification and testing work performed by the station. The method is to germinate the seeds to be tested on absorbent paper. These are then placed under ultra-violent rays, when it is found that the tiny roots station ‘and the pseudo-perennial ryes left on the paper material, which shines a brilliant blue, whereas the true perennials exude none of this florescent perennial. It is an easy matter to count up the percentage of Italian there may be in a mixed sample. A matter worthy of note is that the new test proved that the work of the station in seed certificates from field trials had been remarkably accurate.—(P.A.)