OUR BREEDING PROGRAM 
INSURES CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT 
Our breeding program in small grains 
is planned so as to insure constant im- 
provement in established varieties and 
at the same time add other highly 
desired characters. Years of painstak- 
ing, accurate, extensive tests are neces- 
sary before a superior new type can be 
bred and offered. Some of these steps 
are illustrated in photographs on right. 
Utmost care is required in making 
crosses; these are made with definite 
aims in view; thousands of segregates 
in the various generations are selected 
and these put through severe inocula- 
tion, cold and yield tests and only those 
with established merit are ever offered 
as new varieties or strains. 
Wheat, a crop of rapidly increasing 
importance in the South, is being espe- 
cially emphasized in our breeding pro- 
gram. The big problem is to breed 
adapted varieties of highest production 
and milling value that will withstand 
the hazards of cold and storms, also 
smuts, mildews, rust, blossom blotch 
and other diseases. In our breeding 
stocks we have all these factors repre- 
sented and are constantly endeavoring 
to add these desirable characteristics 
to our new wheats. 
Barley can fill a definite need in the 
South. At present we have some well 
bred hooded, bearded and awnless types 
but all have serious weaknesses. All are 
susceptible to one or more races of smut, 
some to mildews and most of the best 
lines susceptible to stripe. Our breeding 
program is directed towards the breed- 
ing of highly productive, stiff strawed, 
awnless types that combine maximum 
resistance to these diseases. Dr. Taylor 
of the U. S. D. A. has furnished us a 
wonderful lot of hybrid material which, 
supplemented with our own crosses, 
should enable us to breed such types. 

1 The plant breeder’s work kit used in crossing oats. 

Smutted heads representing all the different races 
of smut are collected for use in our inoculation tests. 



7 Breeding for rust resistance: specially constructed 
eages are used for artificial inoculation during years 
when local rust damage is lacking. 


Py 1 j ; a ast, * ns could 
10 Showing smutted and clean heads of Nakanawase 
barley. 
