MANGEL SEED SUPPLIES

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 63, Issue 1, 15 July 1941, Page 16

MANGEL SEED SUPPLIES

By

J. H. CLARIDGE,

Arrangements for Local Production

Seed Certification Officer, Wellington.

XV ZHEN compared with such fodder WHEN compared with turnips and crops as swedes, turnips and rape, the mangel crop of New Zealand appears relatively insignificant. Nevertheless, there is a section of the farming community to which the mangel constitutes a very important source of supplementary feed. Those farmers, therefore, who among them grow upwards of 10,000 acres of this crop each year have received full consideration in the scheme of seed production launched in New Zealand after the outbreak of war. Appreciating that the normal procedure in New Zealand provided for a considerable carry-over of seed, it was realised that locally-grown seed would be required for only a portion of the area of mangels to be sown in 1941, but that in all probability this country would be dependent upon its own efforts for the total quantity of seed required in the following year. Arrangements were made last winter for the transplanting of .an area of ,30 acres of mangels from which seed would be produced in the . succeeding harvest. This, in itself, ■ was a considerable task, remembering that 10 and sometimes 15 tons, of bulbs ,were , required for each acre transplanted. In addition, consideration had to be given to the selection of the roots and to the isolation of the areas to eliminate- the possibility of cross pollination between varieties. The seed from these areas has been harvested, and is now in process of being machine-dressed preparatory to its distribution throughout the. seed trade of New Zealand. z It has not been possible, even if it were desirable, to grow for seed purposes all. the varieties known in this country. In this connection a review of mangel variety trials carried out in the past indicates that while highest yields may be expected from the “long red” type, the highest dry matter yield per acre has been returned by the “globe” varieties. The governing factor in regard to the varieties saved for seed last year,

however, was the availability of suitable roots, and as a result seed of the following types was harvested: — Yellow Globe. Orange Globe. Red Intermediate. Long Red. ( Half Sugar. Most of the seed produced was representative of the globe types, although small quantities of the three latter types were also saved. Mercantile firms throughout the country will shortly be circulated relative to the wholesale distribution of this seed. In regard to seed for 1942 sowings, arrangements are already in train for the planting out of a considerably increased acreage. Some of the area will be planted with large bulbs, while the balance will be planted with stecklings—plants with relatively small bulb development. For next

season’s production it is proposed, to limit the varieties to be grown to three —Yellow Globe, Orange Globe, and Long Red. As with other seeds of a similar nature ' not regularly produced in New Zealand in the past, the production of mangel seed calls for considerable care and attention in the selection of nucleus material for multiplication and also in the actual production of the commercial seed crop. Provided proper supervision is given, however, there is every reason to believe that seed can be producd in New Zealand equal to the imported material. To meet the present needs, this work is being carried out under the supervision of the Department of Agriculture, and the resultant material will be given official approval for sowing, to produce crops for feeding purposes.