Dec. 15, 1925 
Germination of Frozen and Nonfrozen Wheat 
1183 
Germination tests as described by Whitcomb (14) were made on 
November 24 and December 21, 1923, and November 22, 1924, by 
the alternating-temperature method. This test, as carried out, 
consisted in placing 100 kernels between pieces of moist blotting 
paper and keeping them for 18 hours at 20° C., and then raising the 
temperature to 30° C. for six hours, and then lowering it to 20° C. 
for 18 hours, etc. On December 21, 1923, the germination was 
determined also by the ice-box method. In this method 100 kernels 
were placed between moist blotting papers, and kept continuously 
in the ice box at 4° to 6° C. for five days, at the end of which time 
the wheat was treated by the alternating-temperature method as 
described above. The tests were all carried out in duplicate. The 
results are given in Table I. 
Table I .—Marquis wheat: Germination of frozen (temperature —20° to —28° C .) 
and nonfrozen wheat harvested at various stages of maturity 
[Harvest began Aug. 9, 1923, when the kernels were about 13 days old. The germination tests were all 
run on duplicates of 100 kernels. Where 0.5 per cent occurred in the average it was added as 1 per cent] 
Laboratory No. 
Approxi¬ 
mate age 
r o f 
kernel 
Moisture 
at time 
of 
harvest 
Weight 
per 
kernel, 
moisture- 
free 
Nov. 24, 
1923, 
alternat¬ 
ing tem¬ 
perature 
20° to 30° 
C.,9 
days 
Germination 
Dec. 21,1923 
Nov. 22, 
1924, 
alternat¬ 
ing tem¬ 
perature 
20° to 30° 
C.,6 
days 
Alter¬ 
nating 
tem¬ 
perature 
20° to 30° 
C.,6 
days 
Ice box, 
5 days, 
alternat¬ 
ing tem¬ 
perature 
3 days 
Days 
Per cent 
Mgs. 
Per cent 
Per cent 
Per cent 
Per cent 
131, nonfrozen... 
7 13 
69.4 
7.7 
98 
95 
99 
91 
132, frozen_ 
13 
69.4 
1 
2 
0 
0 
133) nonfrozen.. ... 
17 
62.5 
14.0 
98 
* 99 
99 
96 
134, frozen _ __,_ 
17 
62.5 
3 
5 
3 
2 
135) nonfrozen---- 
21 
56.2 
19.5 
99 
100 
100 
97 
136, fro/p.n _ 
21 
56.2 
2 
3 
3 
1 
137, nonfrozen_ 
25 
50.6 
25.3 
99 
100 
99 
98 
138, frozen__ 
25 
50.6 
57 
72 
62 
35 
139) nonfrozen_1__ 
27 
46.5 
25.7 
99 
99 
98 
94 
140, frozen__ 
27 
46. 5 
42 
60 
80 
22 
141) nonfrozen_ 
29 
46.5 
26.8, 
99 
100 
98 
96 
142, frozAn 
29 
46.5 
17 
66 
63 
9 
143) nonfrozen_ 
31 
45.0 
28.5 
99 
100 
93 
89 
144, frozAn 
31 
45.0 
10 
84 
89 
0 
145, nonfrozen 1 _ 
33 
43.5 
29.9 
98 
99 
98 
98 
146, frozen _ 
33 
43.5 
42 
77 
85 
27 
147, nonfrozen__ 
35 
38.7 
30.7 
99 
100 
100 
93 
148, frozen . . __ 
35 
38.7 
42 
80 
80 
32 
149, nonfrozen__ 
38 
34.1 
30.2 
100 
100 
99 
95 
160, frozAn 
38 
34.1 
72 
89 
88 
63 
151, non frozAn _ . . 
41 
31.0 
99 
100 
99 
98. 
152, frozAn 
41 
92 
98 
97 
82 
i Main part of field harvested. 
The effect of freezing the kernels on their germination on Novem¬ 
ber 24, 1923, is apparent in all of the stages of development studied. 
The germination of the nonfrozen samples was very high throughout 
the whole range. The germination tests carried out about a month 
later show a great increase in the germination of those frozen samples 
which had a moisture content of 50 per cent or less at the time of 
freezing. After aging for more than a year the germination of the 
frozen samples had decreased markedly, while the nonfrozen samples 
