66 REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 



with those of South Africa and the investigation of 

 Sopubia, about which nothing whatever is known, is equally 

 important. The economic aspect has not, as yet, been con- 

 sidered in South Africa, and this side of the enquiry is of 

 primary interest to us. 



Other plant diseases. 



The section has, as usual, been consulted by the Scienti- 

 fic Department of the Indian Tea Association on several 

 occasions. It was also consulted by the Australian 

 Prickly Pear Commission, on the diseases of that plant in 

 India, and by the Agricultural Department of British East 

 Africa, on coffee leaf disease. A serious disease of betle 

 pepper, which causes great loss in certain parts of India, 

 is being investigated and appears to be caused by an un- 

 described species of Colletotrichum, of which the perfect 

 stage has been obtained in culture. Experiments in check- 

 ing anthracnose of plantains were continued. The treat- 

 ment of oat smut by formalin steeping was successfully 

 demonstrated on several estates in Bihar, and is being 

 taken up satisfactorily. Work with Pennisetum smut was 

 continued, but the life history of the fungus has not yet 

 been worked out. A disease of maize, hitherto unknown 

 outside Java, appeared at Pusa last year. It is exceed- 

 ingly destructive in Java, but our knowledge of the life 

 history of the parasite [Sclerospora Maydis (Rac.) Butl.] is 

 imperfect and an attempt was made, and is being con- 

 tinued, to obtain fuller information on this point. An 

 account of it was published in the Memoirs. The " damp- 

 ing off " of seedlings (caused by Pythium de Baryanum 

 Hesse) was found for the first time in India last year, 

 though common in temperate climates. Its studv in culture 

 was undertaken, and an account of it published in the 

 Memoirs. The rotting of stored potatoes is being investi- 

 gated at the instance of the Economic Botanist, Bihar and 

 Orissa; much of the loss has been found to be due to 

 Rhizoctonia. 



