TURNIP ROT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 April 1938, Page 3

TURNIP ROT

TREATMENT WITH BORAX. The results which have been obtained in the experiments conducted by the Cawthron Institute during the 1937 season show that borax does control in great measure the incidence of brown heart in turnips, but that there is great danger of harmful effects both on the germination of the turnip seed and the strike of the young plants. Even at the rate of 101 b per acre, borax sown with the seed in 14in drills was responsible for serious mortality of the young plants. The best results were obtained by the use of 201 b of borax per acre top-dressed over the land and harrowed into the soil a week before the sowing of the seed, or by mixing the borax with both lime and superphosphate at the time of

drilling. The use of lewt of ground limestone, together with IJcwt superphosphate and 101 b of borax per acre, gave great benefit in the control of brown heart and did not markedly interfer with the strike of the turnips. A recent bulletin summarises the findings as follows: — 1. The highly beneficial effects of borax in the control of brown heart of turnips have been confirmed. 2. Borax used even at the rate of 101 b per acre-mixed with superphosphate and the seed caused serious mortality of young turnip plants. 3. The best results were obtained by the use of 201 b of borax per acre top-dressed over the land prior to sowing the seed, or by the use of mixtures of ground limestone, superphosphate, and 101 b of borax per acre sown with the seed in 14in drills.