IP, SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 



a fresh parasite to the jute growing districts. Neverthe- 

 less as the seed was being distributed very extensively by 

 the Bengal Department of Agriculture, it was decided to 

 disinfect it. The problem of disinfecting the jute seed 

 resolved itself into discovering some method of treatment 

 which would kill those spores of the fungus which became 

 mixed with the seed during threshing without injuring the 

 germination of the seed. Experiment showed that steep- 

 ing for 10 minutes in a 2 per cent, solution of copper sul- 

 phate could be relied upon to inhibit the germination of 

 the fungus spores without appreciably affecting that of the 

 seed. The whole of the Bihar seed crop was therefore col- 

 lected in Pusa and steeped in a 2 per cent, solution of 

 copper sulphate for 10 minutes and the seed then carefully 

 dried on a concrete threshing floor. The work was carried 

 out during the first three weeks of January and the seed 

 at once bagged and despatched to Dacca, a total of about 

 20 tons of seed was treated in this way. 



Early in November the jute seed crop in Kamrup was 

 inspected and found to be suffering from Diplodia Corchori. 

 This seed was collected and treated at Dacca. A fact 

 which was apparent both in Bihar and Kamrup was that 

 the late sown crop was relatively immune from attack. All 

 field observations suggest that in some way the incidence 

 of the disease is dependent upon the host plant reaching a 

 certain stage of maturity and size and thickness of stem. 

 Field and laboratory experiments are being continued at 

 Pusa with the object of elucidating the conditions which 

 favour the spread of the disease and any further methods of 

 control. Further observations and experiments on Rhizoc- 

 tonia on jute and its relation to this new disease are also 

 being made; this investigation is being carried out by Dr. 

 Shaw. 



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(3) Root rot of the sal tree. The inoculations carried 

 out at Dehra Dun on young sal trees have not yielded any 

 results, and a further series of infections using pieces of 

 fresh sporophores of Polyporus Shorece, is being arranged 

 in collaboration with the Forest Botanist. The figures 



