Slll! liN lUIilllDK HJIiTII.K K.MIîK IKIUCUM 



ON A FERTILE HYBRID BETWEEN TRITICUM SATIVUM MOLD SQUAREHEAD WHEAT) 

 WITH SECALE CEREALE PETKUS RYE 



SUMMARY 



Tlu' aiithor descriljes varions cases in wliich llie cross belwecn wheal and 

 rye lias been prcvionsly made. Rimpau, in 1888, succeeded in oblaining a 

 liybrid which produced some seed. 01' récent years Ihe cross bas been fre- 

 quenlly made wilh success, bnl Ihe hybrids oblained hâve hteen stérile. 



In 1909, the authorcrossed several varieties of wheat and l'ye, and obtained 

 a bybrid froni tiie cross Mold-squarehead wheat Pctkus rye. The hybrid 

 was inlermediate in height between the two parents; it flowered earlier than 

 the wheat. Tho dark green leaves, long and narrow cars, spikelels, and 

 glumes recalled the rye parent. The spikplets bore a superficial resemblance 

 lo the wheal type, but a carel'ul examinalion showed many characlers derived 

 from rye. The anthers vvere i-eniarkable in that they did not dehisce. Seve- 

 ral hundreds oi' anthers were examined, and not one was found lo hâve dchis- 

 ccd; in order to obtain pollen, thèse anthers were pricked with a needle. 

 l']xamined microscopically, Ihe pollen appeared shrivelied and formless except 

 l'or an occasional round grain. AUenipts were made to germinale the pollen 

 in a drop of sugar solution, and al'ter repealed ellbrts, one grain was found lo 

 bave begun to germinate on the stigma. Four ears ol' the hybrid were Ihen 

 ferlilized with his own pollen, and one ear with pollen i'rom Mold-squarehead 

 wlieal. 



()nly one groin was oblained, from a scllcd car. and fi-oni lliis was raiscil a 

 slrong Fj plaiil. This |)lanl dillcrcd IVom ils parcnl lonsiderably. It was 

 nearly as tall as lyr. jiiit Ihe pale grccn foliacé rcscniblcil wheat foliage. The 

 glumes in many respects resembled the F, plant. The anthers dehisced at 

 7naluriltj, and liie pollen was generally well formed thougli varia])le in size. 

 The plant was somewhat stérile, but iVl plants of F^ were raised. 



Owing to the interesting fact that tiie Fi and F, plants arc proving them- 

 selves lo Ije p(M-cnnia], il will be possible to grow 1'",, V, and F^ al the same 

 tinie, and lo compare Ihem wilh each othcr. 



