Indian Society of Genetics & Plant Breeding
THAT variation e'Sists between seed lots of identical genotype has long been recognized.
Such variation has been attributed to the influence of environment during the growth
of the mother plants (Listowski and Szymusik, 1952; Fox, 1955; Villax and Pinheiro,
1956). There has been considerable discussion as to the possible effect of different
environmental conditions, through several generations, on the performance of a pure
line and on seed quality (Williams and Welton, 1915; Atkinson and Love, 1928;
Fleming et al., 1958). One of the most pronounced effects of environmental factors,
such as. soil fertility, is on seed size and weight. Certain experimenters have found
that heavy kernels result in higher yields (Waldron, 1941; Kiesselbach and Helm,
1917; Kneebone, 1959; Saric, 1959). Others, however, report little differences in
average yields from different seed sources (McNeal et al., 1960), indicating ~hat seed of
plants grown for several generations upon rich soil has given no more productive
plants than seed of plants grown on less rich soil. Here it would seem that fertility
is not an important. factor in seed selection. However, it has been observed
in some instances that the quality of seed and seedling development are subject to
influence by nutritive environment to which the mother plant was exposed (Fox,
1955). This study has been carried out to evaluate such soil fertility effect, if any, on
seed and plants of hybrid maize involving production levels of sing;l.e cross and double
cross.
Year: 1962
Volume: 22
Issue: 3
Article DOI: NA
Print ISSN: 0019-5200
Online ISSN: 0975-6906
N. N. Roy and H. L. EVERETT info_circle
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