WHEAT RESEARCH.

Waikato Times, Volume 114, Issue 19054, 19 September 1933, Page 10

WHEAT RESEARCH.

DOMINION INSTITUTE. VALUE OF WORK DONE. WHOLE INDUSTRY AIDED. (By Professor H. G. Denhsm Chair--7 man of the Wheat Research In stitute Committee.) part I. The New Zealand Wheat Research Institute was founded five years ag to give opportunity for those concerned with the wheat industry, namely, wheat growers, millers and bake , enlist the aid which science can ren der towards assisting them. At that time statements had been re P made that the quality of New Zealand .-■bread had fallen off to such an extent that the per capita consumption oi bread was on the decline. Each-sec-tion of the industry, while not being fully convinced on this point, felt that there was probably something in the contention. They were most anxious that the consumption of bread and other flour products should not only be maintained but be increased. They realised the importance of catering for the wishes of the consumer, jind they felt that this could largely be done by the provision of better bread and better flour. The aim ol the Institute was set accordingly, and

the interests of the consumer were placed first. yfillers were of the opinion that it they were only given better quality wheat they would have no difficulty in producing the requisite type of flour. The general belief was that flour made from the dominant variety of wheat—Tuscan —could by no treatment other than by generous admixture with imported flour, be made into good bread. Yet to the farmer Tuscan, with its high yield per acre, and its capacity to withstand shaking from the severe nor’west winds, was iri many ways an ideal variety. In order that its quality might be Improved, and additional protein added to its content, it was decided that a programme of breeding and selection yvork should be laid down by the Institute. Already the foundation of such work had been laid by the work of Dr. F. W. Ililgendorf at Lincoln College. Consequently the services of a first-rate wheat breeder and plant geneticist were sought, and obtained in the person of Dr. 0. H. Frankel.

Control of Diseases. The results may b$ reviewed today by stating that a new breed of wheat, possessed of all the virtues of Tuscan in regard to wind resistance, with the capacity for equalling Tuscan in its yield per acre, capable of producing an additional yield of from 2 to 3 per cent of flour, and an increased baking score of 10 per cent has been evolved. At the time the Institute was launched the varieties of wheat in New Zealand had become very mixed. The Institute sought samples of the different varieties grown in all parts of the Dominion, and cleared up the nomenclature of these. Pure line selections were made, so that to-day wheat growers are assured of receiving certified strains of the best varieties. The certification work carried out in co-operation with the Department of Agriculture has expanded greatly, has maintained a high standard for seed wheat, and has assisted in the elimination of undesirable varieties which were proved to be unsuitable for milling purposes. At the same time the work of selection and certification has enabled many serious diseases, such as smut, to be put under a fairly complete measure of control. The average quality of the wheat grown to-day is therefore very different from what it was five years ago, as farmers have keenly sought certified seed, and in no season has the supply been adequate to meet the demand. The Institute has imported some 2000 varieties of wheat from every wheat-growing area in the world. Some have been tried out under New Zealand conditions, with a view to ascertaining their suitability locally; others have provided material for breeding purposes. Wheat growers have, in consequence, been saved the trouble of importing and testing for themselves overseas varieties of wheats, while the quality and worth of all new importations have been thoroughly tested by the standards of the Institute. Turning to the laboratory side of the work, where wheat has been subjected to milling, baking, and chemical tests, the range of work, covered has been surprisingly large ’ for the small staff engaged. Question of Fertilisers. Soon after the Institute was started, header harvesters were again introduced. Previously they had been regarded as failures because of the uncertainty as to how and when they should be used. They presented a new problem to the farmer, who was now obliged to alter his idea as to the appropriate stage of maturity at which to put the machine into the crop. The Institute enabled this difficulty to be overcome by tho system of moisture lesling which it introduced, and which provided service for farmers in all oislricts, with the greatest promptitude. With this information the

farmer was guided as to the best course to follow with the grain, after it had left the machine, with the result that the quality of the wheat dealt with by the 11 header harvester equalled that secured from the ordinary threshing mill. The header harvester, guided by the scientific assistance available from the laboratory, j was able, therefore, to operate successfully in the somewhat questionable conditions of Canterbury, and farmers were - enabled to take advantage of the savings in harvesting costs which this machine made possible. The Institute also took up the matter of maturation of wheat, investigated the processes of sweating, and acquired information which rendered it easy for the wheat to be brought to that stage when it w T as in the best condition for milling. With the increasing use of fertilisers in connection with the wheat crop, fears were being expressed that these in some way affected the quality of the flour. The fears w'ere largely conjectural, were based on no real foundation, and they were only finally disposed of when, after several years of careful trial and analytical work by the laboratory, it was shown that the Influence of manures affected yield only. They neither improved nor injured the actual quality of the grain and flour. But perhaps it was in the difficult harvest of 1932 that the Institute rendered the most spectacular aid to wheat growers, and to the millers. Climatic conditions made this year probably the worst on record for wheat growing. The weather both at harvest time and before was such as appeared to ruin the quality of the grain. The Institute, however, Carried out numerous tests which showed that many thousands of bushels which otherwise, on inspectional tests, would have been rejected by the miller# as unsuitable for milling purposes, were actually made use of, and this was particularly welcome in a year when crops were uilusually light, and New Zealand appeared to be faced with something of the nature of a wheat shortage.