Certification of Legume Seed Inoculants

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 96, Issue 3, 15 March 1958, Page 291

Certification of Legume Seed Inoculants

By

E. E. CHAMBERLAIN,

Director, Plant Diseases Division, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Auckland

THE inoculation of lucerne seed with root * nodule bacteria has been considered good farming practice for many years, and the Plant Diseases Division was responsible for supplying culture in steadily increasing amounts over a period of 28 years.

RECENT research work in New Zealand has shown that establishment and growth of clovers are greatly assisted by inoculation with an efficient clover culture. Inoculation is of particular value in virgin or secondclass country where the soil often lacks nodule bacteria or contains only ineffective strains.

Nodule bacteria are able to “fix” atmospheric nitrogen and make it available to the legume host plants. As most legumes have a high nitrogen requirement, good growth is dependent on the presence of nodule bacteria unless the soil has a high nitrogen content.

During the past three seasons commercial lucerne and clover cultures have come on to the New Zealand market and are now readily available from seed merchants. The Plant Diseases Division therefore decided to cease lucerne culture production and no cultures have been dispatched since the end of last season.

Two types of commercial cultures are available. The first is the agar or wet culture which is packed in a glass mission bottle containing an agar jelly on which a slimy film of the legume bacteria is growing. Commercial agar cultures are similar in type to the culture previously supplied by the Division. For use the culture is mixed with skimmed milk, | pint for every 301 b. of lucerne, red clover, or subterranean clover seed and 1 pint for every 301 b. of the smaller seeded white clover. The milk plus the culture is mixed with the seed in a clean container. After mixing the seed is spread on a clean cover away from direct sunlight to dry, the seed

being stirred occasionally. . When dry it is ready for sowing. The second type of culture is the peat or powder culture. In this type, finely ground peat is used as the carrier for the legume bacteria. For use the culture is first mixed with ■ water, 1 pint for every 301b. of seed, and the mixture added to the seed before mixing; or the peat is dusted over the seed and the water added and then mixed well. Results in trials with both types of cultures have been ' satisfactory. There has recently, however, been some criticism of the use of water with the peat cultures, and better adherence of the peat to the seed is obtained if skimmed milk as used for agar cultures is used in place of water. As cultures contain large numbers of living bacterial organisms, extreme care must be taken to ensure that inoculated seed is not mixed with any acid fertiliser. It is essential that the instructions • issued with each culture be followed implicitly if efficient inoculation is to be obtained.

To provide farmers with information which will enable them to procure efficient tested strains of legume cultures a voluntary scheme for the certification of legume seed inoculants is. being carried out by 16 Plant Diseases Division. At present only cultures for the inoculation of lucerne and red > white, and subterranean clovers are being tested. • „ , ,, ■ ,. , banners may buy any culture certified b y the Division knowing that it has been thoroughly tested and found to be efficient for legume inoculation, Final success with such cultures is dependent on strict adherence to manufacturers’ instructions and the application of . normal principles of good farm management. '• . , , Legume inoculants certified by the Division as at October 1957 are listed, The information given contains the trade name, the name of the manufacturer or agent, the carrier used for the inoculant, and the legumes for which the inoculants are certified.

r T’HE following estimates made in January of the fruit crop for the 1957-58 season are in 000’s of bushel cases. They are summarised from information supplied by field officers of the Horticulture Division of the Department of Agriculture. Districts producing less than 500 bushels of a variety are not shown, but are included in totals. District totals of more than 500 are rounded to the nearest 1000.

New Director of Crop Research Division

Dr. L. Corkill, who has been appointed Director of the Crop Research Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Lincoln. He was previously Chief Plant Breeder, Grasslands Division of the Department, where he was engaged on the breeding, for New Zealand conditions, of several pasture plants. Notable in this field have been his efforts in the breeding of short-rotation ryegrass. Dr. Corkill is president of the New Zealand Grassland Association and in 1956 took part in the Seventh International Grassland Congress held at Massey Agricultural College.

Trade name Manufacturer and/or agent CLOVER Carrier Certified for Biolab C. Biological Laboratories Ltd., P.O. Box Agar Red, white, and Agar 2749, Auckland Peat sub. clovers Biolab C. Peat Glaxo Legume Glaxo Laboratories (N.Z.) Ltd., P.O. PeatRed and sub. Inoculant Box 624, Palmerston North Pumice clovers Inoculaid C. Biological Laboratories Ltd.; Dalgety Agar Red, white, and Agar Inoculaid C. & Co. Ltd., P.O. Box 1397, Wellington, and branches Peat sub. clovers Peat Inoculator C. Biological Laboratories Ltd.; Farmers’ Agar Red, white, and Agar Inoculator C. Peat Co-op. Wholesale Federation N.Z. Ltd, P.O. Box 1124, Wellington, and Farmers’ Co-op. organisations Peat sub. clovers Legulon C. Biological Laboratories Ltd.; Wright Agar Red, white, and Agar Legulon C. Stephenson & Co. Ltd, P.O. Box 1895, Wellington, and branches Peat sub. clovers Peat Stephenson & Co. Ltd., P.O. Box 1895, Wellington, and branches Peat sub. clovers National C. Biological Laboratories Ltd.; National Mortgage & Agency Co. of N.Z. Ltd., Dunedin, and branches Peat Red, white, and sub. clovers Nitrogen C. Biological Laboratories Ltd.; Pyne, Agar Red, white, and Agar Nitrogon C. Gould, Guinness Ltd, P.O. Box 112, Christchurch, and branches Peat sub. clovers Peat Gould, Guinness Ltd., P.O. Box 112, Christchurch, and branches Peat sub. clovers Nodulaid C. Agricultural Laboratories Pty. Ltd., Sefton, Australia; N.Z. Loan & Mercantile Agency Co. Ltd, P.O. Box 1498, Wellington, and branches Peat Subterranean clover Nod-O-Gen 2 in 1 The Albert Dickinson Co, Chicago, U.S.A.; Seed Inoculants (Nod-O-Gen) Ltd., P.O. Box 7, Ashburton, N.Z. LUCERNE Humus Red, white, and sub. clovers, and lucerne Biolab L. Agar . Biological Laboratories Ltd, P.O. Box 2749, Auckland Agar Peat Lucerne Biolab L. Peat Glaxo Lucerne Inoculant Agar Glaxo Lucerne Glaxo Laboratories (N.Z.) Ltd, P.O. Box 624, Palmerston North Agar Lucerne PeatPumice Inoculant Peat-Pumice Glaxo Laboratories (N.Z.) Ltd., P.O. Box 624, Palmerston North Agar Lucerne PeatPumice Inoculaid L. Agar Inoculaid L. Biological Laboratories Ltd.; Dalgety & Co. Ltd., P.O. Box 1397, Wellington, and branches Agar Peat Lucerne Peat Inoculator L. Agar Inoculator L. Peat Biological Laboratories Ltd.; Farmers’ Co-op. Wholesale Federation N.Z. Ltd., P.O. Box 1124, Wellington, and Farmers’ Co-op. organisations Agar Peat Lucerne Inoculo 1 Inoculo Laboratories, 72 Victoria Crescent, Mont Albert, ‘Melbourne, Australia; A. S. Paterson & Co. Ltd, 209 Cashel Street, Christchurch Peat Lucerne Legulon L. Biological Laboratories Ltd.; Wright Agar Lucerne Agar Legulon L. Biological Laboratories Ltd.; Wright Stephenson & Co. Ltd., P.O. Box 1895, Wellington, and branches Agar Peat Lucerne . Peat National L. Agar National L. Biological Laboratories Ltd.; National Mortgage & Agency Co. of N.Z. Ltd., Dunedin, and branches Agar . Peat Lucerne Peat Nitrogon L. Agar Nitrogon L. Biological Laboratories Ltd.; Pyne, Gould, Guinness Ltd, P.O. Box 112, Christchurch, and branches Agar Peat Lucerne Peat Biological Laboratories Ltd.; Pyne, Gould, Guinness Ltd., P.O. Box 112, Christchurch, and branches Agar Peat Lucerne Nodulaid A. Agricultural Laboratories Pty. Ltd., Sefton, Australia; N.Z. Lo-an & Mercantile Agency Co. Ltd., P.O. Box 1498, Wellington, and branches Peat Lucerne Nod-O-Gen 1 The Albert Dickinson Co, Chicago, U.S.A.; Seed Inoculants (Nod-O-Gen) Ltd, P.O. Box 7, Ashburton Humus Lucerne Nod-O-Gen 2 in 1 The ' Albert Dickinson Co.; Seed Inoculants (Nod-O-Gen) Ltd. Humus Lucerne and red, white, and sub. clovers

FRUIT DISTRICT c? £0 cS C E o> o co o d « 4-* L- O <D o = © OJ C ro cs 9 O o J3 co 3’“ S, o O O™ JD -C S O — ja = £ “.22 <□. ®‘<3 V) 3 £ X “■O o — o ® U. ZCL Mar Can and Nor • c 00 Tota 000 APPLES— Ballarat .. 73 7 95 2 7 15 1 207 Cox’s Orange Pippin 10 2 107 1 113 13 18 13 278 Delicious 34 7 182 4 203 2 28 49 534 Dougherty 17 4 75 — 29 — 126 Granny Smith .. 107 4 160 6 . 100 3 3 5 388 Gravenstein 21 — 42 — 64 2 2 132 Jonathan 9 —— 59 1 251 35 19 33 407 Sturmer 7 5 255 12 370 -3‘ 66 42 793 Others .. 109 5 237 10 183 19 52 54 670 ■ Total 387 34 1,212 36 . 1,320 144 203 199 3,535 PEARS— Beurre Bose 4 1 4 9 18 Louise Bonne de Jersey 2 ■KB 26 —— 1 1 29 Packham’s Triumph II — II —— 9 — 31 P. Barry 7 1 23 6 2 - 39 W. B. Chretien 20 . — 90 ■ • 55 5 9 180 Winter Cole .. 1 1 73 46 7 7 136 Winter Nelis 1 51 10 3 14 79 Others 30 — 9 1 14 ■ : 10 6 71 Total 75 4 287 1 150 3 27 37 583 — . — — — ■ — — — " '• OTHER FRUITS— Peaches 101 15 402 2 - 57 ■9 93 686 Apricots 3 1 7 1 19 141 172 Nectarines .. « ( 2 ©1 o<<<-gTr-w-o E m OC05rS>SDCIooroj» 2.1 » g f 2 S'S-Sw 16 ’ — 2 CD . 2 P 2 rt-X _ m 3 2 2 G-" 7 -? 33 w a ® W 3 -§’ol P g p 2 2 o£.m • =g-c»*S 3 '*c« FRUI . eft n □3 c — CD “J <Z> CD Cf) 2 o 3 a> ,= o =?* = 3* = I * -4 :::::: on 28 1 CD . . . -j . c =-. 5 • ....... 3. ....... g’. 1 =5 • CD • Auckland | o 52 1 CO I to I 00 CO — » a to 0 — co — m Province cd 1 CO tO W — 1 O1 O I — OM — to ■£*■ 1 M COM co — except Gisborne I I WtO — O1 1 1 —1 - 11 - 1 £ men | 1 Gisborne CO — o 1 00 m ‘M CO hO — to N) to to — — — Hawke’s Bay Plums .. CD CO CD — GO O CO — CD 1 to <j cn co to © oi to m cn Wellington 1 1 1 1 1 N> 1 - -1 11 i 11 1 1 00 O to -= | CD j — to and Taranaki Provinces a I — 1 s — co to — to — Nelson fin — O1 W — — tO — M 1 s - CH CD CD m CD CD — CD — WOProvince Q -1 1 wro 1 1 "4 1 1 1 11 1 1 — coco to — Marlborough 1 GO —" 1 1 COMO1 — COtOMGOM Canterbury ~= = 1 11 1 1 ° OlO- 1 to — — and 58 CO 1 M O CO M CH to 1 co to CD CD to CO 1 COCOCJI North Otago — I c© Central 3 m — CO 1 “ CD M CD 1 1 — 1 £ to go tom 1 cow — Otago 1 hO — CD 1 s Total COMMFOPOCD 1 co — CD CD Sc© “ C© 00 1 S5 000 bushels 96 — 1 1 12 35 217 Cherries —- —— 1 — 1 2 fl 17 Quinces .. 6 — 8 — 3 1 1 19 292

Fruit Crop Estimates for 957-58 Season