INSTITUTE AND COLLEGE, PUSA, FOB 1907-09. ^5 



Arrangements have been made for unifying the pro- 

 posed mycological course in the provincial colleges, and 

 a memorandum on a course of lectures and practical work 

 together with the most important diseases, has been com- 

 piled as a basis for this unification of mycological teach- 

 ing. 



5. Research Work. — A small number of diseases have 

 been selected for detailed study which, in some cases, has 

 continued over several years. The life-history and general 

 biology of the parasites have been studied, and informa- 

 tion obtained of their effects on the attacked plants. 

 The following are the chief diseases specially investi- 

 gated : — 



6. Sugarcane Diseases. — Red rot is the chief of these. 

 The work of the period under report has been directed to 

 elucidating the methods of infection. It has given some 

 new results, and it is hoped to publish a further contribu- 

 tion to the study of this disease during the year. In the 

 Samalkota farm red rot is now quite rare in the crop, and 

 this may be considered due to the methods of set selection 

 advocated by this section. Work is in progress on the life- 

 history of two other sugarcane parasites, but so far has not 

 reached the publication stage. A few inoculations to as- 

 certain the mode of infection of smut proved successful 

 and these experiments are being continued this season. 



7. Palm Diseases.— The campaign against the palm 

 disease of the G'odaveri delta is still being prosecuted, and 

 the entertainment of the special staff employed has been 

 recom.mended for a third year. The Imperial Mycologist 

 inspected the work in September and December 1907 and 

 in January 1909. There has been no general recrudescence 

 of the disease in the early months of this year, such as 

 occurred last year, and the Imperial Mycologist was struck 

 by the very small number of newly diseased trees seen in 

 his tour in January last. Under the new system Inaugu- 

 rated in October 1908, it is hoped that cutting work will 

 go on continuously and simultaneously over the whole of 



