HOTHOUSE TOMATOES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 54, 1 September 1944, Page 7

HOTHOUSE TOMATOES

TEAR GAS AS DISINFECTANT

P.A. AUCKLAND, August 31. One of the healthiest-looking crops of glasshouse tomatoes in the Auckland district today is probably that b,emg grown at the Government's plant research station, Mount Albert, where tear gas has been used to disinfect the soil in a house of ordinary commercial size containing 1500. plants. Two other glasshouses, one at St. Heliers and the other at Hastings, are being used for similar experiments. The tomatoes are thriving under the experimental conditions as the Government plant scientists try out new methods of ridding the glasshouses of diseases and insect pests. If the results come up to expectations one of the most laborious tasks connected with indoor tomato culture, namely, steam sterilisation of the soil, should be reduced to a quick knd simple method. Tear gas, known to scientists as chlorpicrm, has been found effective overseas in destroying fungi and insects, and particularly in the eradicating of eeb worm and overcoming wilt where tomatoes are grown under glass. Tear gas is not at present available for general use because of the war con'""Pnj.but after the "war supplies should be sufficient to meet the commercial demand. • Practice adopted has been to inject the gas into the soil. It has been found that the gas has a beneficial effect on the fertility of the soil