CREATING NEW CEREAL VARIETIES

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29384, 10 December 1960, Page 9

CREATING NEW CEREAL VARIETIES

CREATING new varieties of cereal crops is not easy and getting crosses is a slow and delicate task.

Wheat and oat plants are selfpollinating and fertilisation occurs before the flowers open. Because of this it is necessary to open the flower as soon as possible and remove the pollen - bearing anthers. At a later stage when the flower is ready for fertilisation it is again opened and anthers from the other parent of the intended cross are inserted. This is a laborious business. The three men in the photograph were working on oats, and each flower —-there are 20 to 30 per head—had to be opened carefully with-

out damage and the emasculation, or. pollination, done with a pair of fine forceps or tweezers. Both operations take up to 10 minutes to carry out on each head. Last year the division crossed 494 ears of wheat in this way and about 28 heads of oats. This year the work involves about 200 heads of wheat,. 70 of oats

and some barley. Crosses made in this way are about 25 per cent, successful for oats and about 85 per cent successful for wheat. After the cross is made the head is covered with a small paper bag to prevent accidental access of stray pollen and to identify the treated heads.