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159. Puccinia helianthi, "Sunflower Rust", showed itself on the variety "Mars" at Kongwa but did not do much damage. Under the moister con- ditions of Urambo and the Southern Province this fungus may prove more destructive on such susceptible varieties as "Mars ".
160. According to variety and stage of its development, the fungus Cercospora personata (Black Leafspot of Groundnut) produced varying degrees of defoliation or loss of leaf-tissue, but, appearing rather late in the stage of development of the crop, did not take any appreciable toll.
161. Aspergillus cf.niger, one of the black collar-rots, under moister con- ditions on parts of Unit 2, Kongwa, killed a small proportion of groundnut seedlings; it was not a major disease in either of the other Regions.
Varieties Sown, and some Conclusions
162. On a field scale, the main varieties sown were:---
(a) Groundnuts: Natal Common; Valencia; with relatively small
acreages of Spanish Bunch and Virginia Bunch.
Natal Common was the most satisfactory, owing to the capacity. of the nuts to adhere to the vines, as against the tendency of Valencia to shed the nuts in the digging and lifting operations. In the moister conditions of Urambo and the Southern Province, this short-period nut would set special difficulties in harvesting and drying. A long-period variety, such as Virginia Bunch, and some of the local native variety, are required for these conditions.
Valencia is, therefore, considered unsuitable for mechanical harvesting. Spanish Bunch has yielded poorly. The Virginia Bunch seed utilised was of poor quality and sown too late. (b) Sunflowers: Mauthner's Dwarf (striped seed) was most largely sown; smaller acreages were devoted to Jupiter, Pole Star and Mars. The behaviour of Mauthner's Dwarf, Pole Star and Jupiter was encouraging in terms of evenness of height and maturing; Mars-- of mixed origin-was less satisfactory but as a
"late" variety holds promise.
(c) Maize: Relatively small acreages at Kongwa and Urambo were sown to Hickory King, Potchefstroom Pearl, Kenya Yellow. For dry conditions, Kenya Yellow is clearly the most suitable.
Cattle
163. Toward the end of the year, Zebu (African) cattle were bought locally at Kongwa. Such live-stock and natural range management work was aimed at obtaining information about animal husbandry prospects and technique, and at producing meat-beef, mutton and pork-for European and African consumption.
Soil Conservation
164. In January, 1949, Regional Conservation Officers were appointed to the three Regions; three Conservation Officers were posted to the Kongwa Units, and one to Urambo, while an officer with particular aptitude for experimental work was attached to the Operational Research Unit for land-clearing and soil conservation work. For professional guidance all these Soil Conservation Officers look to the General Manager (Agriculture).
(i) Kongwa Region
165. The construction of windrows assisted conservation of moisture and of soil. Some areas were unsuitable for clearing, either because of excessive steepness or because of drainage channels.
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