Seed Production in New Zealand

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 94, Issue 2, 15 February 1957, Page 172

Seed Production in New Zealand

The Grass and Clover Seed Industry

By

J. H. CLARIDGE,

Superintendent of the Seed Industry, Department of Agriculture, Wellington

AN essential prerequisite to good grassland farming is an adequate supply of highquality grass and clover seeds. A very large proportion of New Zealand's production is derived from pasture and, whether the farming is all-grass or whether it includes a cropping programme, the importance of good seeds in the maintenance of that production cannot be overstated. Because of this importance of good seed it has been decided to republish a series of articles on seed production which first appeared in the "Journal" some years ago. This first article describes the grass and clover seed industry in general terms, and later articles will deal with the methods employed in the production of the various seeds. Some articles have been revised and it is intended later to publish the series as a bulletin.

'T'HE export trade in pasture seeds is no small one, amounting in value to perhaps £2,000,000 per annum, and it increased markedly during the war. New Zealand, however, is still by far the largest consumer of the seeds produced in this country and the export market is relatively insignificant in comparison with the real purpose of the small seeds industry, which is to produce grass and clover seeds to renew, improve, and extend

the pastures of the Dominion.

No accurate figures of domestic consumption of grass and clover seeds are available, the amount of seed used in any one year depending on several factors, principal of which is the area to be sown in grass each season. Another important item affecting the quantity of seed sown to the acre is the cost of the seed. It is estimated

that half a million acres are sown to

pasture each year, this area having remained fairly steady over a period, and on that basis the quantity of seeds required annually in New Zealand has been estimated very approximately as follows, the approximate average annual exports for the last 3 years being given also for comparison:

Local Export requirement trade . tons tons Perennial ryegrass . . 5,000 2,000 Short-rotation ryegrass 1,000 1,200 Italian ryegrass .. 250 700 Cocksfoot .. ... 1,000 (1) Timothy .. ... 125 (1) White clover .. .. 1,000 1,500 Red clover . . .. 750 500 Subterranean clover .. 300 (1) - (1) Imports of these seeds are necessary to make up deficiencies in local production.

These figures indicate the relative sizes of the local and export markets, but still fail to stress their relative

significance. The export trade provides overseas funds and an outlet for

surplus seed, but sowings within New Zealand are the basis of a great deal of the primary production of the country.

The United Kingdom takes about half of New Zealand’s exports of grass and. clover seeds, Australia being also a large buyer and America taking considerable quantities of white clover seed when prices are low. The abnormal British demand for seeds from New Zealand at the end of the war caused prices for all grass and clover seeds, whether for local consumption or for export, to reach high levels in 1945 and 1946. The reinstatement of seed production in Europe in the post-war period caused a falling off in demand and a recession in these prices and some lines of seed were temporarily almost unsaleable. In those more seriously affected production was markedly curtailed, with the inevitable result that within a season or so one or two items were in short supply and high prices again ruled. Whatever the , individual reaction might be to these fluctuating prices,

no seed producer will gainsay that prices much below the peak of the past few seasons will still leave a . margin of profit to the efficient farmer. On the other hand lower prices will doubtless lead to increased consumption.' It is to be expected, however, that the low-yielding areas . which manage to pay a dividend only because of high prices will no longer be worth saving for seed when prices are low, and that added emphasis will then be placed on the necessity of adopting efficient methods of management and harvesting in the small seeds industry. n Origin ot Industry Farmers in New Zealand have been . producing seed since the early davs of European settlement. , The climate has concentrated production in certain areas, some of which have become famous for regional strains of superior quality developed there during the years. Names of some districts, on the other hand, have become associated with strains of inferior quality, Those facts have had a marked influence on methods of production and on the quality .. of ' seed available for sowing. The Hawke’s Bay and Poverty Bay districts, for instance, were long associated with a superior type of perennial ryegrass seed. However, because of the necessity of harvesting . seed from old areas to maintain that

type a limit was placed on the capacity of those districts to produce seed. Other districts where pastures of long duration were the exception rather than the rule were able to produce ryegrass seed much more cheaply, but pastures were frequently sown with a mixture containing both perennial and Italian ryegrass and repeated harvesting and resowing of seed from those areas led to the development of inferior strains of ryegrass. The Akaroa district, where cocksfoot seed was sown in the days of early settlement and the areas so established .. were not broken up, became famous for the type of cocksfoot produced there. To be certain of purchasing seed of Akaroa strain buyers were prepared to pay the higher prices resulting from the riecessity of hand harvesting on the hills where the seed was produced. ■*■ • s eec Quality V y The past 25 years have brought many changes in the pasture seed industry. The introduction by the Department of Agriculture of a seed certification scheme to identify . lines of seed of superior strain has not only given the buyer of Certified seed an assurance' as to the type he is purchasing, but has also led to improvement in the general quality' of seed being marketed. It has also had an indirect but far-reaching effect on seed production in different areas and has

enabled the use of methods of production which were not previously possible without grave risk of deterioration in the types of the various species. Coupled with the operation of this scheme, which was at first concerned only with superior strains developed under natural conditions, has been the work of the Grasslands Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Palmerston North, in selecting by scientific methods improved strains of the main grass and clover seeds. Today the pedigree strains released by that division provide the basic material for seed coming under the certification scheme. This in turn has enabled the seed grower to take advantage of the increased seed yields associated with young pastures and to engage in the production of seed of superior strain, even though his farming programme does not permit the retention of individual areas in pasture for lengthy periods.

Purity and germination of the seed, . like strain quality, are of greater i importance than bushel weight and [ colour. Seeds of excellent appearance , may nevertheless be dead, and the \ value of a line is in proportion to the viable seeds present. Impurities may , consist of other crop seeds, of relatively unimportant or of serious weed t seeds, and of inert matter, all of which ' affect the value of the seed comprising the bulk of the line. Twenty-five years ago the Seedtesting Station of the Department of I Agriculture handled about 10,000 ■ samples a year; nowadays the number i is about 40,000.. That increase indicates 1 not merely greater appreciation of a , knowledge of the purity and germina- ! tion of a line of seed, but also that ’ the whole trade in pasture seeds is ' based on the purity and germination ' of each individual line.

Harvesting Methods Many changes have taken place in farming practices generally during the past 25 years, and not the least have been those relating to the saving of grass and clover seeds. The introduction of the header harvester has revolutionised methods of seed harvesting and has led to the operation being carried out with a minimum of delay. Whereas older methods entailed transport of the crop to a stationary thresher and frequently necessitated stacking until a plant was available, most crops are now harvested by a header harvester following the swath left by the mower, and even in many cases by direct heading. In the wake of this development numerous problems have arisen which are exercising the mind and ingenuity of the seed grower.

All grass and clover seeds require cleaning before use to remove impurities of various kinds. Improvements in seed-cleaning machinery and technique have led to the production of a better sample of seed while reducing loss of good seed to a minimum. For many years New Zealand has produced seed of all but three of the grasses and clovers widely used in pasture mixtures in this country, but paspalum and subterranean clover seeds have come from Australia and timothy seed largely from the United States of America, but latterly from the United Kingdom. More recently regular imports of cocksfoot seed mainly from the United Kingdom have been necessary. Because of the climate in districts where paspalum thrives locally grown seed of this species is very unlikely to replace imported seed. Limited quantities of subterranean clover have been grown in New Zealand for a considerable time, but the harvesting

of this crop presents a problem. In the meantime New Zealand is still dependent on Australian growers for most of this seed. At present there seems to be some reluctance to grow those seeds which cannot be produced in association with the normal stock carrying of the farm. For some years both timothy and cocksfoot have had to .be imported to provide enough seed for local sowings. Change in Farmers' Attitude Not the least notable feature of the trend in grass and clover seed production is in the attitude of the farmer. The production of Certified seed has not only given the grower more paying returns and encouraged him to sow better strains of seeds, primarily with that end in view, but has also led to the establishment of better pastures and improved carrying capacities. Particularly is that so in districts where inferior strains, have developed

in the past and where, as a consequence of improved pastures, increased fertility of the soil and better crop yields are also being experienced. As a reaction to the other developments many farmers have come to recognise a place in their farming programmes for the production of grass and clover seeds. In many districts seed harvesting in earlier years was regarded primarily as a method of using surplus . growth and to be undertaken “in a favourable season”. Now, however, it is regarded as a normal part of farming activity and comes into the planning of the farm programme in the same manner as does the growing of other crops. Better management practices have arisen, and the saving of grass and clover seed has changed from the haphazard undertaking of past years to the planned industry now revealed.