INHERITANCE OF ENDOSPERM TEXTURE IN 

 SWEET x WAXY HYBRIDS OF MAIZE 



G. N. COLLINS and J. H. KEMPTON 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture 



Introduction 



In ;i previous publication, 1 the first and second genera- 

 tion of crosses between sweet and waxy varieties of maize 

 were reported and a tentative explanation of their be- 

 havior was suggested. It is now possible to add the 

 results of the third season, which to some extent afford a 

 test of the explanation proposed in our first publication. 



The immediate result of crosses between the Chinese 

 variety of maize having a waxy endosperm and varieties 

 with sweet endosperm was the production of seeds having 

 a horny endosperm indistinguishable from that of ordi- 

 nary field varieties of maize. In the second xenia genera- 

 tion all three kinds of endosperm reappeared in the pro- 

 portion of 9.20 horny, 3.95 sweet, and 2.85 waxy. This 

 ratio was accepted as a 9:4:3 dihybrid ratio. For al- 

 though the deviations of the individual ears, individual 

 families and the totals were too large to be ascribed to 

 chance, the deviations were not consistently in one direc- 

 tion and to predicate more complicated formulae would 

 have necessitated different assumptions for different ears. 

 The only interest in treating the problem in this way would 

 be that of solving a mathematical puzzle, for it would be 

 practically impossible to secure individuals enough to test 

 adequately the validity of the assumptions which it would 

 have been necessary to make. 



Admitting, then, that the ratios were only an approxi- 

 mation representing a general tendency, it became of 



i Collins, G. N. and Kempton, J. H., "Inheritance of Waxy Endosperm in 

 Hybrids with Sweet Corn," Circular 120, U. S. Department of Agriculture, 

 Bureau of Plant Industry, 1913. 



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