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Show Page 12. SPKCIAL SECTION. LKADKIUJARLAND TIMES. February Xnk 17. 1977 "We are at war!" declared Dr. Doyle J. Matthews, dean of agriculture and director of the I'tah Agricultural Experiment Station at I'lah State University. The war is against pathogens bacteria, viruses, iiiiigi, and other organisms :at threaten food crops with n'Stiuctive diseases. "The hattlf that's been oing on right in our backward is a war o the death," ir. Matthews Mated. ' If we don't win. we'll he wiped out in some of our important food crops. Wheat offers a striking example of momentary success in the battle." The persistent, nature of this war is seen most dram-aiicallin the skirmishes with the tungus organisms hat cause bunt or covered Miiut disease in wheat. The history of winter wheat growing in Utah and especially in Box Elder County, is oneol recurring battles with this organism and its derivative new races. For years the organism was kept fairly weil under control through use of various seed treatment chemicals. In the mid-- , y I 1920 s a new type or race of smut appeared. It was commonly referred to as dwarf smut because of the dwarfing effect it has on wheat plants. Researchers discovered that they were up against a more formidable enemy. The dwarf smut was able to live for a long time in the soil, thus making seed treatment ineffective. Forces had to be regrouped. Effort was exerted to obtain wheat varieties resistant to the organism. Allies, in the form of wheat types of little value except for their genetic resistance to smut, had to be recruited and crossed with locally adapted varieties. ta-The of testing and selecting for time-consumi- resistance and desirable wheat qualities anions the thousands of segregating lines that resulted from the crosses afforded the enemy an opportunity iO make vast inroads. Losses up to 50 percent were not uncommon and some fields were so badly smu.ted that it hardly payed U. harvest them. Wheat, that supported a flourishing milling and baking industry in Utah and provided an important source of income to Utah farmers, was in serious trouble. Dwarf smut was threatening growing unprofitable in Ut- ah and southern Idaho. Finally, in 1933 after 10 years of intensive wheat breeding work, the researchers came out with an effective weapon in the form of a new variety that was appropriately named Relief. It exhibited good resistance to the race of soil-bor- smut. Momentarily, the battle seemed to be over. the reprieve was only temporary. Within two years the smut organism proved its capability of developing new races to which Relief was susceptible. It became evident that the war would last a long, long time. New crosses were screened for resistance against the new smut races as they appeared. Over the years the arsenal of varieties developed and released from Not so, however; I'm proud to be a fairy hrmer "You've got to be at the top to stay in farming," he cautioned. But Summers still believes it's possible for a young man to get into farming and be successful. If you've got a lot of guts, want to work hard with .10 days off" you can succeer!. "But. it's like that in any business, but you'd befer be on the ball." he concluded. Summer is not alone in his business. His wife, Jerry, is the bookket per. A daughter is off iit college, studying agri-bus- i less and the boys are karr .ng the ropes on the farm v.hile going to local schoo s. "We work together and we play together," Summers Their play, often, is typically rural style. The set-u- r g have a they often use. "Whether the boys eei stay on the farm, I don't know," Summers confided "The way things are today, 1 wouldn't push it because they can make money easi- Cache in 1935, Wasatch in Delmar in in 1969, and Car don and 1942, r Hansel Resistant varieties released from Idaho also added to the arsenal. A seed treatment with new fungicides used in conjunction with a resistant variety now appears to be the most promising weaponry output for controlling the smut disease. This tactic was reported in August at a research field day on the Blue Creek Experiment Field Station in Northern Utah. in 1974. The researchers, When that time comes, we must be prepared with more resistant varieties. As the research director pointed out, the war against this and many other crop diseases must go on so long as there exists a threat to our capability. Research efforts must not diminish. The alternatives - defeat or capitulation to the enemy are - how- ever, are not fooling themselves into thinking that any one combination of weapons will automatically and decisively win the war. Even now, intelligence reports from surveillance of the enemy are signalling an indication of a new smut race that can severely attack the new resistant varieties in Idaho just across the border. Before long this enemy can be expected to penetrate the defense lines in Utah. Dr. Wade G. Dewey, who heads the winter wheat cereal breeding research at USU and at the Blue Creek Farm, says that new smut races are expected to appear in Utah within a few years. I $ I 1 We're prod to tvppcrt ow fsnaers & ranchers who ere dobg such o fine feb for our county 1 MINERAL FERTILIZER CO. ' COLLINST0N r n nn rrrz i FOR COMPLETE HOME FURNISHINGS SINCE 1948 I !AS TREMONiWSl)lDESTFURNiTURE calf-ropin- er,... but still, it's satisfying." "You never know from day lo day what you're going to be doing," he said, as a hired-hanhanded him a broken part from a tractor that means an expensive repair bill. And, the "more I learn the more I find out there is to learn." the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station to counter the new smut races included nn J d tan are at war," says agrfeialhiire lit' " ! WOULD ! BUSINESS LIKE THANK HOPE See fir CLEON HAS BEEN in the dairy business most of his life and enjoy, getting involved with the entire process. & TO TO YOU SERVE FOR Y0U "STORE, YOUR Yi) PAST ALWAYS ! ! I Us For: "Whirlpool UU(M COMBINED TOTAL OF 76 Utton YEARS OF SERVICE! -- |