JO April, 1909.] Rust and Smut Resistance. 255 



EXPERIMENTS RELATING TO RUST AND SMUT 

 RESISTANCE. 



D. McAlfine, Vegetable Pathologist. 

 As a member of the Wheat Improvement Committee I have carried out 

 -experiments relating to rust- and smut-resistance. Similar experiments have 

 be'en previously conducted, but they now form part of a general scheme 

 having for its object the selection of wheat, which in addition to good 

 yielding and milling, stooling, early maturing, and strong-growing quali- 

 ties, will possess the additional properties of resistance to rust and smut. 

 The work of improvement along these definite lines will involve systematic 

 ■effort, and can only be accomplished by constant and continuous experi- 

 ment. 



Another important phase of the work is the testing of varieties from the 

 ]>oint of view of disease, so that in crossing, parents may be selected 

 which possess the qualities desired. Further, the ultimate goal is to breed 

 rust-resisting and smut-proof wheats, so that the enormous losses due to 

 these diseases in certain seasons may be avoided. 



For the proper carrying out of the work, one-eighth of an acre has 

 been enclosed with bird-proof netting at Burnley Horticultural Gardens, 

 •v.here smaller plots are established for special purposes. Thus the tests 

 for germination will not be interfered with by birds rooting up the grain, 

 and in other tests the ears will not be destroyed before arriving at maturity. 

 For the larger plots the Agricultural Colleges of Dookie and Longerenong 

 are chiefly utilized, and the experiments are conducted in conjunction with 

 Ihe respective Principals and Assistants. 



The experiments during the first year have been necessarily of a pre- 

 liminary character and include — 



1. Testing varieties for rust-resistance. 



2. Testing varieties for their liabilitv or non-susceptibility to stinking smut. 



3. Experiments with flag smut. 



I. — Testing for Rust-resistance. 

 A brief summary will here be given of the work initiated at Bumley, 

 Dookie, and Longerenong, respectively. 



Burnley. — The land chosen is a loose sandy loam, and as this was the 

 first season of the experiment, manure was supplied at the rate of per acre, 

 I cwt. superphosphate, | cwt. sulphate of ammonia, and \ cwt. sulphate of 

 potash. There were 63 plots of wheat for testing rust, comprising 10 

 varieties or selections from Perkins, South Australia ; 13 from Sutton, 

 New South Wales, one of which (Nutcut) never germinated : 20 from Pye, 

 Dookie; 4 from Sinclair, Longerenong; 8 from Marshall, South Australia; 

 I from Potts, Hawkesbury ; i from Appel, Germany; 2 from Vilmorin, 

 France; 2 from Department of Agriculture, U.S.A.; i from Webb, 

 Rendigo; and i from Gumming, Nyah. In comparing different varieties 

 •of wheat as to their rust-resistance or rust-liability, it is desirable to have 

 some standard of comparison whereby the relative degrees of rust may be 

 •clearly shown. A scale of 10 points is adopted, as being the most con- 

 -\enient, and corresponding to each is a short descriptive term. 



Scale of Rustiness. 



Free to practically free (F. to P.F.) ... ... o to a few specks. 



Very slight to slight (V.S. to S.) ... ... 1-2. 



Very moderate to moderate (V.M. to M.) ... ... 3-4. 



Medium ... ... ... ... ... 5-6. 



Moderately bad to bad (M.B. to B.) ... ... 7-8. 



Very bad to rotten with rust (V.B. to R.) ... ... g-io. 



