Mani^clsdort : Detective Seeds in ?\laize 



125 



ciirred in the approximate proportit)!! of 

 three non-germinating to one germi- 

 nating. The normal seeds from this 

 segregating ear were planted in 1922 

 and the abnormality again ai)iieared, 

 indicating that it is inherited and not 

 merely the result of environmental con- 

 ditions. On the other hand, the char- 

 acter is pro])ahlv one, which, though 

 genetically present, would manifest it- 

 self onlv under certain environmental 

 conditions. In a dry season it might 

 never appear, although the factors for 

 germinating seeds were constantly 

 present. 



Germinating seeds have l)cen ob- 

 served in only two varieties at the 

 Connecticut station and it has not yet 

 been determined whether the two are 

 alike or distinct. 



In the variety Canada Flint, there 

 is some relation between germinating 

 seeds and the i)roducti()n of yellow 

 color in the endosperm. The ear 

 on which the germinating seeds were 

 first observed was homozygous for 

 yellow endosperm. The following sea- 

 son all of the germinating seeds were 

 white. The relation is probablv a 

 physiological one which has been ac- 

 centuated by the inbreeding. If it is 

 true genetic linkage, then a mutation 

 for white seeds must have occurred 

 and this mutation is completelv linked 

 with the factor for germinating seeds. 



Another season's result should show 

 definitely whether such is actually the 

 case. 



Germinating seeds are just as lethal 

 in action as the other extreme type 

 of defective in which there is no food 

 supply. The aberrant seeds die when 

 the ear is harvested and the moisture 

 sui)])lv cut ofi. It might be possible 

 to transfer the germinating seeds di- 

 rectly to the greenhouse in the fall 

 and mature the character in a homo- 

 zvgous condition during the winter 

 months, but under ordinary field con- 

 ditions it is a very efifective lethal. 



Defective Germplasm Wide-Spread 



1 hese many types of defective seeds. 

 of which the three here described are 

 typical, are but another example of 

 defective germplasm which may be 

 M'idespread in any naturally cross- 

 fertilized crop. Almost any field-polli- 

 nated ear of corn shows a few defec- 

 tive seeds. Ordinarily, these escape 

 attention, or if noticed, are attributed 

 to the effects of incomplete pollination 

 or other external factors. Some of 

 them no doubt are due to environ- 

 mental conditions, but many are defi- 

 nitely inherited. It is in the bringing 

 to light of such recessive abnormalities, 

 and in the elimination of inferior germ- 

 plasm, that inbreeding is of greatest 

 value as a means of permanent im- 

 provement. 



Genetics in Russia 



A LABORATORY of Experi- 

 mental Zoology and Genetics 

 has been established in Petro- 

 grad, under the direction of Professor 

 I. A. Philiptchenko. In Moscow a 

 eugenics society has been organized, 

 which also publishes a bulletin period- 

 ically. The cover of this bulletin is 

 ornamented with the portraits of Eras- 

 mus Darwin, Charles Darwin and 



Francis Galton. As Fritz Lenz re- 

 marks, in communicating this notice, 

 there is food for thought in the adop- 

 tion by a Soviet organization of these 

 patrons of science, all three of them 

 representatives of the English landed 

 gentry and owing to inherited wealth 

 their freedom to devote themselves to 

 research in evolution. 



