CEASELESS WAR ON PESTS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 155, 27 March 1939, Page 8

CEASELESS WAR ON PESTS

Task Of Scientists SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF WORK Dominion Special Service. AUCKLAND, March 26. Remarking that the social implications of science wen: not realized by many people, Dr. E. Marsden, Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, devoted most of bis address at the opening of-the Mount Albert plant reseach station to explaining why a ceaseles war was being waged on pests which were enemies of man and of society.

Rapid transport, Dr. Marsden said, had destroyed New Zealand’s isolation. It bad brought in Hie majority of the world’s pest and would bring more. A good example was the white butterfly, which had arrived some years ago iu vegetables thrown overboard from a ship near Napier. The voyage bad been short enough to allow the pest to reach New Zealand alive. A serious citrus disease had entered last year, another’affecting onions was also recent, and altogether it was possible to name 10 diseases that had been introduced in the past few years. When growers experienced trouble it was the duty of scientists to make a survey and find out exactly what was present. They were concerned not only with insects but also with fungi and viruses. The economic value of such wonk could be realized from a recent case iu which a new kind of smut had been found iu an orchard and had been, proved to have originated in an imported product. The grower had been requested not to send any infected material away from bis properly and measures were being taken which, it was hoped, would eradicate the trouble in live to 10 years. Meanwhile the value of his property had decreased.

“I suppose that of the seeds you buy for your garden about 75 per cent, are carrying some disease or other,” remarked Dr. Marsden. “It may be that in time the Government will require all seeds to be not only true to variety but disease-free as well.”

Way of Increasing Prolit.

By getting rid of diseases, profits were increased and general social benefit resulted. Effective work of this kind avoided such discouragement as was felt, for example, by the tobaccogrower who found that 70 per cent, of his crop had been rendered valueless. There was also the question of mineral deficiencies, such as lack of minute quantities of boron, which produced corky pit in apples, and of manganese in some soils, which led to mottled leaf in citrus trees.

The social implications of science, said Dr. Marsden in conclusion, should be plain in New Zealand, whose economy was based very largely on refrigeration and superphosphate. Artificial indigo had produced profound effects on the life of India, dry rot in swedes had greatly influenced the trend of upland farming in New Zealand aud was to a large extent responsible for the deterioration of hill country. . Scientists realized their duties as citizens and were fully conscious that they were working .'for the State in the larger sense of the term.