32 CONTRIBUTIONS OF BALUCHISTAN 



Plant Breeding. 



Parnell, F. R.; Rangasawmi, G. N.; and Ramiah, K. The Inherit- 

 ance Characters ofRice. Mem. Agri. Dept. India. Bot. Ser. IX 2. 



The authors find the simple ratio of 1 to 3 in several varietal characters 

 of the grains and of the stem and leaves of paddy, e.g., long outer glumes in 

 place of the usual very short ones ; a piebald arrangement of the dark colour 

 of the furrows of the grain, as contrasted with its even distribution ; and 

 similarly a piebald distribution of a golden colour of the inner glumes as con- 

 trasted with the full golden colour. This golden colour which appears as the 

 grains ripen, in place of the more usual green ripening to a straw-colour 

 is recessive to green. They find a purple pigmentation of various parts 

 of the plant dominant over (the usual) green, the numbers of F 2 obtained 

 being 41,121 to 13,664 or very nearly 3 to 1. But since in some crossings 

 a ratio of 9 to 7 is obtained the colour is without doubt, they say, due 

 to the simultaneous presence of two factors, one of which occurred in 

 both of the varieties giving the first set of numbers in the ratio 3 to 1 

 in -F.2 ; while the varieties of the other set giving 9 to 7 were heterozygous 

 to both. This fact was proved by the production of purple pigment in 

 a cross between two pure strains both of which were green. A dark colour- 

 ing of the pulvinus and auricle is similarly dominant over green. Other 

 segregating characters are a purple striation of the internode, purple 

 glumes, purple stigma and purple axil. Among these last they find ' coup- 

 ling ' occurred ; viz., purple striation with purple glumes, and purple stigma 

 with purple axil ; while green internodes and glumes are associated with 

 purple stigma and axil, showing a repulsion which proved to be between 

 purple stigma and both purple striation and purple glumes. Though 60,000 

 plants were examined for this, no example of incomplete repulsion was 

 recorded. 



Another varietal character examined was a black colour of the inner 

 glumes, which fades to a smoky colour when the grain is quite ripe. This 

 colour is, as in so many cases, due to the combination of two factors. 

 They find partial repulsion between both of these factors and that of 

 purple striation of the internode. 



Coming to the grain itself, inside the glumes, the red colour of some 

 varieties was found to show the simple ratio of 3: 1, indicating dominance 

 over its absence : but in two natural crosses with red rice some of the 

 F 2 plants had a grey-brown colour. Though the experiments at the time 

 of publication were not complete enough to prove it, the authors think 

 chat this red colour is also due to the simultaneous presence of two factors. 



P. F. F. 



Printed and Published for the Proprietor by W. L. King at the Methodist 

 Publishing House, Mount Road, Madras. 



