POLLINATION AND CROSS-FERTILIZATION 



IN THE JUAR PLANT, (ANDROPOGON 



SORGHUM, BROT.) 



BY 



E. J. DOUGLAS GRAHAM, M.A., B.Sc, " 



Economic Botanist, Central Provinces. 



[Received for publication on the 21st October, 1915.] 



Introduction. 



The work of classifying the varieties of juar grown in the Central 

 Provinces and Berar has been in progress during the' past six years. At an 

 early stage in the enquiry evidence of natural cross-pollination was observed. 

 It was, therefore, necessary to discover to what extent the process takes place 

 in this crop, as not only would its occurrence account for the origin of many 

 of the varieties, but would also militate against the successful introduction of 

 improved varieties. The material on which the enquiry was started was the 

 collection of juars from all districts in the Central Provinces and Berar sent 

 in to the Central Provinces and Berar Exhibition of 1908. 



The usual method of single plant culture was employed in order to study 

 the characters of the plant as a preliminary to the work of classification. 

 In the first year of cultures, evidence of natural cross-pollination was 

 discovered. Up to the present nothing has been published in India 

 regarding the pollination of this crop. It is proposed in the following note 

 to give an account of the process as observed on the Nagpur Farm. 



The Inflorescence. 

 The inflorescence in Andropogon Sorghum consists of a loose or congested, 

 erect or recurved (goose-necked) panicle. On the branches of the panicle the 



