[Breeding Experiments]

D - Population Breeding: Since it was thought that the method of pure-line breeding and subsequent crossing is a method too lengthy and costly for the actual status of maize growing here, an intermediate method is being tried out. Brazilian commercial corn is extremely heterogeneous, contains many defective plants and shows many undesirable traits. A vigorous selection was carried out, combined with selfing during a few (2-3) generations, and finally followed by sib and strain crossing. The results thus far obtained in small plots seem satisfactory and better than those obtained by mass selection without controlled pollination, though inferior, especially in homogeneity, to authentic hybrid corn.

F.G. Brieger and E.A. Graner