104 GENETICS IN SWEDEN 



The great importance of wheat breeding in Sweden is seen from the fact that 

 the genetic constitution of the wheats is studied by different Swedish workers. 

 Also Ake Akerman has studied the speltoid mutants in Triticum vulgare. He has 

 found that a plant may be a sectoral or a periclinal chimaera between a normal 

 and speltoid heterozygote. The speltoids would then be able to originate through 

 vegetative mutation. Akerman has also begun a study of Epilobium bastards. 



K. B. Kristofferson has been working with Viola and, recently, with a bastard 

 between white cabbage and kale. He has been able to show that Scotch kale, 

 Brussels Sprouts, Virsing cabbage, and different varieties of decorative kales origin* 

 ated as novelties in the F2=generation. 



C. Hammarlund has studied the genetical constitution of different types of 

 Plantago major with branched spikes and metamorphosed bracts. Several known 

 »monstrous» types are genetically explained. 



JoHAN Rasmuson has published the results of Fi^isolations in onions. He has 

 found several chlorophyll variations, and polymery characterizes probably the green 

 as well as yellow leaf color. 



OssiAN Dahlgren has published smaller genetical analyses dealing with Cap= 

 sella, Polemonium, Lactuca, Chelidonium, Primula, and Barbarea. 



The writer has been working on the genera Oenothera and Salix since 1907. 

 The former investigation aims at clearing up the complications of the segregation 

 which underlie the phenomenon of mutation. The latter work is an attempt to 

 release as great a variation as possible through species crossing in order to reach 

 an understanding of the origin of species and of evolution. The chances of 

 combination are very great in this genus as crosses between systematically unrelated 

 species are readily made, and because of the great fertility of the resulting bastards. 



All the geneticists mentioned in the above have been working with plants. 

 H. FuNKQ^uisT alone uses zoological material. He has studied the inheritance of 

 the muzzle color in cattle. He finds that the color is due to two polymeric 

 factors. The light color may be due to the absence of these factors, or to the presence 

 of an inhibiting factor. As light muzzled animals fallen from dark muzzled parents 

 lack the complicating inhibiting factor only such animals should be crossed if a 

 constant light muzzled breed is wanted. 



Several popular works have been published by Lidforss, Robert Larsson and 

 Kajanus dealing with the more important and interesting results of Mendelism. 

 Mendel's own work has been translated into Swedish. A thorough text book of 

 genetics for colleges and universities has also been published in Swedish by 

 Nils von Hofsten. 



