8 VARIETAL CHARACTERS OF INDIAN WHEATS. 
1. THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF AWNS. 
The character used by almost all botanists from Linnaeus on- 
wards as the first in order of importance in distinguishing varieties 
of wheat is the presence or absence of awns. As was to be supposed 
(with the exception of a few casessuch as those mentioned below) 
the amount of bearding or its absence isconstant in India and the 
presence or absence of awns is an important botanical character. 
In our pure cultures of Punjab wheats at Lyallpur, which were 
started from single ears in 1906 and in othersimilar pure cultures 
at Pusa we have found that the amount of bearding and also the en- 
tirely beardless condition are notabsolutely constant but that some 
variation takes place. Occasionally, in the so-called ‘‘beardless 
wheats,’’ individuals with a certain amount of bearding may be 
found. In the Punjab wheat known as the Buggi of Leiah two 
types of ear were observed in the harvest of 1906 which only 
differed in one respect, one type being quite beardless, the other 
slightly bearded. Thesewere sown from single ears at Lyallpur 
and Pusa in 1906 andagain in 1907. The produce of both sets of 
ears was similar and each plot contained both beardless and slightly 
bearded ears. Often on single plants representatives of both 
could be found. The beardlessand slightly bearded forms appear 
to be merely examples of fluctuating variability. 
In bearded varieties a similar variation is to be met with. In 
the Punjab types 4 and 9 ears are often seen but slightly bearded. 
In pure cultures of macaroni wheats, e.g., in the hard grey of Bengal 
Gangajali we have sometimes found beardless ears, due to the 
shedding of the awns. This is often brought about by rust 
attacks. 
It is to the student of genetics thatthe variations in bearding 
are of greatest interest. In the study ofthe inheritance of awns in 
wheat breeding it has been found by Biffen,’ Tschermak’ and 
others that the beardless condition is a dominant character. 
| Biffen, Journal of Agr. Science, 1905, Vol. I, p. 93. 
2 Die Zuchtung der landwirtse haftlichen Kulturpflanz en, Bd, LV, 1907. 
