NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1965 SESSION

 

 

CHAPTER 1010

HOUSE BILL 528

 

 

AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR RESEARCH BASIC TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SOUND NEMATODE ASSAY AND ADVISORY SERVICE TO GROWERS IN NORTH CAROLINA.

 

WHEREAS, plant-parasitic nematodes are serious pests of the major agricultural crops in North Carolina, including tobacco, cotton, peanuts, commercial vegetables, peaches, strawberries, nursery stocks and other crops as evidenced by the estimated annual losses which exceed thirty-eight million dollars ($38,000,000); and

WHEREAS, nematodes are soil-borne pathogens and evidences of their presence often are not detected until it is too late to apply effective control practices and consequently farmers in North Carolina are now spending over four million dollars ($4,000,000) annually for soil fumigants to protect themselves against nematode damage to crops of high value; and

WHEREAS, many growers still are suffering crop losses resulting from low yield and poor quality due to nematodes, even the death of highly prized fruit and ornamental plants which are more susceptible to drought and cold injury if parasitized by nematodes; and

WHEREAS, research conducted over the past several years has provided valuable data on sampling and assay techniques for detecting hazardous levels of nematode infestations and has indicated the potential application of assay and diagnostic services to growers in providing information on the kinds and levels of nematodes present in soil which would aid the grower in selecting the most effective control measure; and

WHEREAS, effective control measures are available for most nematode types, but control measures differ, depending on the nematode to be controlled; and

WHEREAS, an effective advisory service for growers would take the guesswork out of nematode control and at the same time insure maximum production and quality of all crops grown at a minimum cost in disease controls; and

WHEREAS, the research phase of this program needs to be extended considerably to increase the efficiency of assay techniques and interpretation of data in terms of potential damage to different crops; and

WHEREAS, the resources needed for this additional research as well as limited diagnostic services extend beyond presently available resources in terms of manpower, laboratory and greenhouse, space, equipment and operating funds of the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station: Now, therefore,

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact:

 

Section 1.  There is hereby appropriated from the General Fund of the State to the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1966, and thirty-eight thousand three hundred dollars ($38,300.00) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1967, for the general purpose set forth in the preamble of this Act and according to the schedule set forth below for each fiscal year as follows:

1965-66           1966-67

1. Capital Improvements                                                          $                        $

a. Laboratory building (50' X 30')                                           30,000

b. Greenhouse (30' X 100')                                                    25,000

2. Personnel

a. Professional (one Nematologist)                                          10,000               11,000

b. Sub-professional (three)                                                      15,500               16,300

3. Maintenance and Operation                                                     19,500               11,000

_________     _________

$100,000           $38,300

Sec. 2.  The amounts for professional personnel of ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1966, and eleven thousand dollars ($11,000.00) in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1967, and the amounts for sub-professional help, operations and maintenance of thirty-five thousand dollars ($35,000.00) in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1966, and twenty-seven thousand three hundred dollars ($27,300.00) in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1967, shall be assigned and made available to the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station. Capital improvement funds in the amount of fifty-five thousand dollars ($55,000.00) shall be assigned to the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1966, only for the purpose of constructing a laboratory building and a greenhouse. The above-named division shall handle the administration and expenditure of the above fund appropriated for each fiscal year as herein set forth, and the professional personnel shall be assigned to the research designated in the bill.

Sec. 3.  All expenditures made from the funds appropriated by this action and for the purpose herein designated shall be accounted for and reported according to the fiscal and financial system of the agency to whom the appropriation is made as herein set forth.

Sec. 4.  All laws and clauses of laws in conflict with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed.

Sec. 5.  This Act shall be in full force and effect from and after its ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 14th day of June, 1965.