SEED BARLEY.

Hokitika Guardian, 2 July 1927, Page 1

SEED BARLEY.

nor WATFK TREATMENT. WELLINGTON . dune 2d. Striking results have been obtained Irom the hot water treatment of barley seed in the- manner devised by Mr ('unningli.-iin, mycologist in the Government Laboratory. Experiments over two seasons show an increase in yield ol Irom Iu per cent to 2(1 per lent, and an impressive improvement in the grading of the product. Untreated seed sown in J925-2U yielded 10.7 bushels per acre, while treated seed yielded .77.11 bushels, fu 1020-7. after modification ol the treatment to which 5(.(.,| was subjected, the yield

rose lo 97.51 bushels per acre. These figures are for lirst- only. All this barley was absolutely free from smut. Lust season, also, some seed obtained from the crop raised In 1925-20 was sown ul l.ec-ton. in Canterbury. mill al-o was supplied to twenty farmers growing barley under eoniract ill Hu- Ellesmere district. This seed “once removed from treatment." yielded 72 husheis per acre, whereas a crop from untreated seed averaged 55.32 husliet- per acre. At the same time tl.e percentage ol first grade seed rose from 81.97 Lo 90.8, seconds stood iit 3.2 instead ol 8.85. and there were no thirds.

Tito treatment arose from development of Mr Cuntiingham’s theory that smut was a seetl-horue disease. in Mav, l!)2o. 10(1 bushel lots of the Tviiiver Chevalier and Rlumtige varieties were placed in special hession hags in 3011, lots and soaked in water held at HO degrees Fahrenheit for six to eight hours, after which they were dipped for fen minutes in water kept at J-1 degrees. On removal front the dip the lings were cooled and emptied on to the, drying lloor <>l a malt kiln to he dried at a temperature of Tr.nn 90 to 100 degrees for iwonty-four hours. After this they were dropped to Ho to 00 degrees for a further thirty-six hours.

Seed so treated v.as supplied to Ciiln ter bury formers growj’ng hniT-'.v under contract, 'i he spring ot IU-'o was cold and wet. Sowing was greatly delayed, the soil was in had .<mOitioit and germination was delayed. Thus the treined grain tame through so slowly that several glowers ploughed up the whole or part; of their irtat- ,,.| seed. However, a sufficient area was left to show that the treated seed alter making an apparently bail start, caught up with and iiually silt passed untreated seed in yield and tpmlitr. Moreover, it was absolutely free from smut in a year in which smut was particularly prevalent and destructive in all crops raised from seed winch had been treated by the customary 'Milestone or lormalitt methods.

Last- year, acting on experience gained, the time of dipping the seed in water at Id 7 degrees was reduced from ten minutes to live, and the time of the previous soaking, six to eight hours, was altered to live to six hours at 7S degrees. The germinative vigour of the seed was thus much less adversely affected. Seed obtained during the first experiment. threshed by a disinfected machine and resWwn last year, iemained free from smut, but other seed of the same crop, which was threshed throough an ordinary combine. became slightly infected.