The Experimental Polyploids 287 



ploids. When colchicine appeared to be usetul, its future possibilities 

 were expressed in several American papers''' published by Chronica 

 Botanica in 1940. A broad view was taken at this time. 



The progress made in Sweden Irom 1937 to 1947 was rapid. Scien- 

 tists irom every nation observed the scope of this work as a restilt of 

 demonstrations made before two international congresses, the genetics 

 meeting of 1948 and the botanical meeting of 1950. Obviously, the 

 discovery of colchicine in 1937 appeared at a very favorable time in 

 the history of plant sciences in Sweden. A large amount of work was 

 done in Russia from 1937 to 1947, but less attention has been given 

 to this contribution."^ Already in 1945, Professor Zebrak reported in 

 a lecture at the University of California that numerous polyploids in 

 the Triticum group had been made, perhaps not exceeded elsewhere 

 in the world. "^ The extensive report on the situation in biological 

 sciences in Russia matle in 1948 gives a general survey of the status 

 of research with polyploidy before 1947. After 1948 the use of colchi- 

 cine was apparently not encotnaged in Russia.^' There can be no 

 tloubt that Vavilov had an important influence on the use of poly- 

 ploidy as a research method. 



Japanese geneticists have made direct and special contributions 

 to practical and theoretical phases of polyploidy.''^ The trijiloid 

 watermelon, triploid sugar beet, tetraploid radish, and tetraploid 

 melon have been \n\\. into agricultural practice since 1937.-^^ Much 

 progress has been made at the Kihara Biological Institute, Kyoto, 

 where a number of workers have been able to make their contribu- 

 tions. Furthermore, the influence of this laboratory ^vas directed to 

 other institutes in Japan. Polyploidy has been a familiar subject, and 

 there has been close integration of theoretical and practical problems 

 under the direction of one group of Avorkers.^"^ 



Accomplishments in the field of polyploidy by three nations, 

 Sweden. Russia, and Japan, are cpiite out of proportion to the 

 relative number of scientists, and particularly of geneticists, in each 

 country. In this respect, the progress made in the United States is far 

 behind these others if one compares the total work in plant sciences 

 in relation to the progress made in the area of polyploidy. There- 

 fore, one cannot imderstand w4iy colchicine and polyploidy are 

 thought to be tools owned solely bv America. They are not. In fact, 

 no nation can claim a priority in the use of colchicine and in progress 

 made by its application to polyploidy. The records of the Seventh 

 International Genetics Congress show some unbalance, l)m l)\ the 

 time the Ninth Congress was held, there was an equalization, so that 

 no single group has dominated the j^rogram of colchicine and prob- 

 lems in polyploidy. Historically the situation has been clarified since 

 the early period of w'ork with colchicine. 



