DEVELOPMENT OF THE PISTILLATE SPIKELET AND 

 FERTILIZATION IN ZEA MAYS L.^ 



By Edwin C. Miller 

 Plant Physiologist, Department of Botany, Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station 

 - INTRODUCTION 



During the past five years considerable time has been given to a cyto- 

 logical study of the pistillate spikelet and flower of the corn plant (Zea 

 mays). This work was undertaken with the primary idea of obtaining 

 some facts that could be used in the advanced instruction of students in 

 agriculture, since the cytological work that has been reported for the 

 more common crop plants is limited and fragementary. The lack of 

 investigations of this kind has long been felt not only by those giving 

 instruction to students in botany, agronomy, and plant breeding but 

 also by those who are concerned with investigations in the practical 

 breeding and improvement of crop plants. 



REVIEW OF LITERATURE 



Crozier {sy found that the silk of com would remain in a receptive 

 condition and grow in length for a long time if pollination was prevented. 

 He also found that it was not alone the forked tip of the silk that was 

 receptive to pollen but that fertilization could be effected by the pollina- 

 tion of the silks after the branched tips had been removed. True (14) 

 studied the development of corn, wheat, and oats from the time of fer- 

 tilization to the maturity of the seed. He described the pistillate 

 flower of corn only in so far as it would be of aid to him in discussing the 

 formation of the caryopsis. Guignard (4) described in considerable detail 

 the structure of the ovary and ovule of corn and observed the process of 

 double fertilization but published no drawings of his observations. 

 Poindexter (11) described the development of the pistillate spikelet of 

 corn and discussed briefly the early stages in the development of the 



* Published with the approval of the Director. Contribution from the Department of Botany, Kansas 

 Agricultural Experiment Station, paper No. 31. 

 ' Reference is made by number (italic) to "Literature cited," p. 264-265. 



Journal of Agricultural Research, Vol. XVIII, No. s 



Washington, D. C. Dec. i, 1919 



st Key No. Kans.-ao 



(255) 



