446 
DEMETRIUS ION ANDRONESCU 
Average Length of 
Embryos Germinated in Stem (Mesocotyl and Leaves) Principal Root 
Sucrose I percent 104 mm. 80 mm. 
" 2 percent 100 mm. 58 mm. 
" 3 percent 84 mm. 96 mm. 
" 5 percent :. 57 mm. 80 mm. 
" 10 percent 46 mm. 83 mm. 
Water alone 18 mm. 34 mm. 
While each of the plants produced in solutions of i percent and 2 percent 
sucrose had one principal root and two or three secondary roots poorly 
developed, those in 3 percent, 5 percent, and 10 percent solutions had each 
one principal root and many secondary roots very strong and well developed. 
In solutions over 5 percent, the growth was slow but vigorous. The germi- 
nations in water alone were very poor. Worthy of notice also was the 
very poor germination of the embryos in solution of lactose and in mixtures 
of sucrose, lactose, and maltose, and the slow but vigorous germination in 
mixtures of sucrose and diastase. In all my experiments I took the i 
percent solution of sucrose to be the best medium for the germination of 
Jhe embryos. 
The next step was to study the difference between the germination of 
complete maize kernels and the germination of embryos. This experiment 
also was repeated many times with different varieties of maize, using both 
methods of germination, in test tubes and in sterilized sand. For the 
germination of kernels water alone was used as a medium, while for the 
embryos a i percent solution of sucrose was employed. The best and 
most uniform examples were obtained with kernels and embryos of the 
Yellow Dent variety, soaked over night and then allowed to germinate 7 
days in sterilized sand, using water for kernels and i percent solution of 
sucrose for the embryos. The results were as follows: 
Length of 
Stem (Mesocotyl and Leaves) Principal Root 
Kernels 100 mm. 200 mm. 
Embryos 65 mm. 75 mm. 
From this experiment we may observe that the embryos detached from 
their endosperms, when germinated, produced plants having exactly the 
same characteristics and features as those produced by using the whole 
kernels, the only difference being that they were smaller. Figure 4 better 
illustrates this fact. 
Germination in Different Media of Embryos Detached from their 
Endosperms and Scutella* 
From kernels soaked in water from 6 to 12 hours after the testa was 
removed, the scutella were removed with needles from the front and sides 
of the embryos, and then the tissues connecting the embryo with the scutel- 
