APPENDIX. 



AN INVESTIGATION TO DISCOVER IF DISEASES 

 OF THE SUGAR CANE EXIST IN NEGROS. 



Bv EL.IEK D. Merrill, Botanist, and Charles S. Banks.. Entomologist^ 

 Bureau of Science, Manila, P. I- 



FL'XGUS AND OTHER DISEASES. 



Philippine sugar cane appears, after a preliminan- investigation, to be rather 

 remarkably free frona disease. There are unquestionably certain fungi, parasitic 

 on tie sugar cane, present in the Philippines, but it appears to be rare that any 

 o IL become s^fJciently abundant to injure the cane in any noticeable degree^ 

 Tlie only serious disease that has come to our notice was an outbreak of the 

 sugar cane- smut, caused by the fungus Ustilaoo saccnari in Laguna Province, 

 Luzon in the year 1908. Tliis outbreak was investigated by Dr. C. B. Robinson, 

 orthTs Bureau, and although the fungus was found to be abundant in certain 

 fields, and quite fatal to the young plants, it was very local m ex ent and 

 quicklv disappeared under proper cultural treatment. Doctor Robinsons report 

 on thi's case will be found in the Philippine Agricultural Review. 



In the early part of the present year a verbal report was received at the 

 Bureau of Science to the effect that the sugar cane throughout ^egros. and. in 

 fa Hn other parts of the Philippines, was badly infected with 'red rot." caused 

 by he fnngrJcoUelotricJuun. falcatum. It was stated that this disease wa» so 

 common in^the Archipelago that it would be unwise to use Philippine sugar cane 

 for seed in establishing new plantations on account of the danger of infection 

 "RedTot," although n^t exceedingly difficult to control ha., in some coun r s 

 c^sed much damage to the cane fields, so that, considering *!- mature of the 

 renort and the reputed seriousness of the attack, it was deemed expedient to 

 Zli^t a o I r. In May, 1910, the sugar-cane districts about Cabancalan 

 X gro and Bago, Negros, were visited, but a careful search in a number of 

 ^ff'erent fields fai ed t^ reveal a single specimen of sugar cane infected ..th the 

 flZnlv were anv of the canes examined found to suffer from other diseases 

 Tmirb mistaken for the above malady. No traces of "'red rot" have been 

 ound ^n sugar cane in the vicinity of Manila, and Dr. E. B. Copeland, dean o 

 tlie CoUege of Agriculture at Los Banos, informs us that he has been unable 

 so far to find it in Laguna Province. 



Wh le searching for the "red rot" of the sugar cane in Negros, advantage was 

 taken of the opportunity to collect specimens of all other fungi parasiti^ on the 



^ Phil. Aqric. Rev. (\90S), ^, 295-297. 



•' 139 



