288 Colchicine 



There is another aspect in the scope of research with colchicine 

 that tends to be overlooked. Scattered throughout the world, special 

 institutes were at work on species whose background was recognized 

 to be polyploid, such as Gassy pi inn, ^- i5- C7, 35 JSHcotiann,^-^ Triiicum^'^- 

 "^ Sohniuni, and others. Iheoretical problems and the practical im- 

 portance of polyploidy Avere well known before 1937. One outstand- 

 ing case is the British Empire Cotton Research Station at Trinidad, 

 British West Indies, where diploid and tetraploid Gossypiinn was 

 studied in detail (cf. Chapter 12) . Soon after colchicine became 

 kno\\'n, it was applied to the sterile hybrids on hand.*'" The drug was 

 merel)' incidental to the whole jjroject, and many polyploids were 

 made as a matter of routine in the larger program. For these reasons 

 research with colchicine did not get prominent notice in their pub- 

 lications. 



The application of polyploidy breeding in Nicotinna began before 

 colchicine was discovered. After 1937 the number of polyploids for 

 this genus was increased. i" A transfer of disease-resistant traits from 

 one species to another is an example of polyploid breeding and a 

 contribution of experimental genetics. ^''^ 



Breeding programs with forage species,-* Triticiim^^ fruits, and 

 flowers are under way in many places. The state and federal stations 

 in the United States alone represent a large program.-- Polyploidy 

 is included in many of these programs. Public and private institutions 

 throughovu the ^vorld have put colchicine to work. 



A complete list of research centers and projects using colchicine 

 would be laige. The bibliography and list of polyploids indicate the 

 international character of such research. 



REFERENCES 



1. Akerman, A. Swedish Seed Association. Annual Report. 1950. S\eri;^. Utsadesf. 

 Tidskr. 61:124-91. 1951. 



2. Anderson, E. Introgressive hvlnidi/ation. John Wilev and Sons, Xew York. 

 1949. 



3. Andres, J. Sojas tetraploides oijtcnidas por tratamienta ton coUhicina. I'niv. 

 Buenos Aires Inst. Genet. 2:95-102. 1944. 



4. Atwood, S. Cvtogenetics and lirecdine; of foraojc crops. Academic Press, Xew 

 York. Vol. 1. 1947. 



5. . AND Brewbaker, J. Multiple oppositional alleles in autoploid white 



clo\er. Genetics. 35:653. 1950. 



6. Bates, G. Polyploidy induced by colchicine and its economic possibilities. 

 Nature. 144:315-16. 1939. 



7. Beal. J. Induced chromosomal changes and tlieir signihcance in growth and 

 deyelopment. Airier. Nat. 76:239-52. 1942. 



8. Beaslev, J. The production of polyploids in r.o55Yp/(;»(. Jour. Hercd. 31:39-48. 

 1940. 



9. Bell, G. Inyestigations in the Triticinae. I. Colchicine techniques for chromo- 

 some doubling in interspecific and iritergenene hybridization. Joui. Agr. Sci. 

 London. 40:9-18. 1950. 



10. Belling. T- Production of triploid and tetraploid plants. Jour. Hercd. l(i: 

 463-66. 1925. 



