CHAPTER VIII 

 METHODS OF BREEDING SMALL GRAINS 



The progeny test is now recognized as the best means of 

 determining the comparative productivity of varieties and 

 strains. Vilmorin's isolation principle was first used in the 

 United States in 1897 by Hopkins, of Illinois, for corn breeding, 

 and in 1890 by Hays, of Minnesota, for small grains. Studies 

 in field-plot technic and in crop genetics have led to standard 

 methods of breeding self -fertilized crops. 



One of the important steps for the breeder is to obtain a broad 

 knowledge of the crop plant with which he is to work. This 

 consists of a knowledge of the home of the plant, its wild and 

 cultivated relatives, the existing varieties and their important 

 economic characters. It is also necessary to learn the needs of 

 the crop for the locality in which the breeder is to work. The 

 importance of this knowledge can not be over-emphasized. 

 After obtaining a fundamental knowledge of the crop, the work 

 in crop improvement naturally falls under three heads: (1) In- 

 troduction, (2) Selection, (3) Crossing. Before taking these up, 

 attention will be given to a system for recording plant pedigrees. 



Method of Keeping Continuous Records. There are numerous 

 methods of keeping records and as a rule each investigator 

 will modify some general scheme to fit his own particular needs. 

 It is also recognized that a plan which might prove satisfactory 

 for an experiment station investigator who works only in one 

 particular region might not be at all desirable for a federal 

 worker who has charge of crop investigations over a wide area. 



The Minnesota plan has proved quite satisfactory, although 

 it is recognized that other methods of equal simplicity and value 

 have been developed by other workers. It is given only as 

 suggestive of the necessity of accurate records and as one means 

 of attaining that end. When a new introduction is first brought 

 to Minnesota it is given a Minnesota accession number and the 

 history, source, and other data are entered in the number book 

 for that crop. If the new introduction is a pedigreed form from 

 a nearby state and seems promising it is placed at once in the 



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