PART SIXTEEN 



GENETICS AND PLANT BREEDING 



Plant breeding depends upon a knowledge of genetics. 

 Together these two disciplines have great significance in light 

 of the population explosion. Increasing the food supply must 

 go hand in hand with birth control. More acres can be 

 planted or new crops can be developed. Corn, wheat, and 

 other plants have been greatly improved by the plant breeder. 

 Corn now produces about 30 per cent more per acre than it 

 formerly did. Other crops are being studied in various uni- 

 versity and government establishments. It is interesting to 

 point out that the practical applications in this area had their 

 start in the little-publicized pure research of Gregor Mendel 



circa 186S. 



False prophets have occasionally appeared in genetics. 

 For an example of this, the article on Lysenko should be 

 read. Fortunately for the Soviet Union, the influence of 

 Lysenko has been greatly curbed as this book goes to press. 



For more information on genetics, read Classical Papers 

 in Genetics by James A. Peters and Heredity by David M. 

 Bonner. 



245 



