Plant-Breeding for Farmers. 



i6i 



IV. IMPROVEMENT OF OATS AND BARLEY. 



Like wheat, oats and barley are self- fer- 

 tilized plants and, therefore, do not require that 

 the breeding-patches be isolated from the gen- 

 eral crop. What has been said regarding the 

 methods which can be used in wheat-breeding 

 applies equally well to oats and barley. The 

 breeding of oats has been much neglected and 

 few pure bred strains exist. \"arieties are 

 frequently very much mixed with different 

 types and growers ordinarily fail to observe 

 this mixture. In starting the selections, there- 

 fore, the different types of heads and grain 

 should be studied until they are familiar to the 

 breeder in order that he may recognize impu- 

 rities in the strains he is selecting and be able 

 to weed them out. In barley also, the same 

 statement holds true. In all cases the breeder 

 must study the crop he is attempting to breed 

 until he is familiar with the different types and 

 with the market requirements. 



With oats and barley, the three methods of 

 breeding described above for wheat may be 

 followed in every detail and thus do not 

 need to be repeated. The breeders of these 

 crops should examine methods described for 

 wheat under the headings : r, new varieties 

 from chance variations or, sports. (This bul- 

 letin p. 315) ; 2, systematic selection of high- 

 yielding varieties. (This bulletin p. 319) , 

 3, selection of large heads. (This bulletin p. 

 320). In oat- and. barley-breeding the at- 

 tention of the breeder should primarily be 

 directed to securing the best-yielding strains 

 for a certain region representing a certain 

 soil and climatic condition (Fig. 143). In- 

 creased yield of a good product is always the 

 primary problem. Secondary problems to 

 which a grower can give attention if desired 

 are, season of maturity ; that is producing 

 early or late varieties and in a few instances 

 quality of the product. In oats a large heavy 



Fig. 143. — Good and poor 

 oat plants grozving side 

 by side in the same field. 



