8. Quantitative inheritance and pollen grain size.

 

In the 1950 Corn News Letter, the pollen of inbreds was reported to be larger and more uniform than that of cross‑bred material. Further work included a study of environmental effects on pollen size, of segregation for pollen size in hybrids and of the inheritance of pollen size and its relation to combining ability

 

Environmental effects (4 plants each group, 25 pollen grains per plant):

 

 

 

Group No.

larger diameter*

Comparison of

diff. S.E

Hybrid V3 x Oh51A

greenhouse pots

1

70.53 � .30

1 and 2

0.56

         "

    "      floor bed

2

70.75 � .26

2 and 3

2.17*

         "

Field

3

71.60 � .29

1 and 3

2.52*

Inbred A1 58

greenhouse

4

70.40 � .27

4 and 5

1.29

  "

Field

5

69.79 �.39

 

 

Starved plants in greenhouse pots (30 cm. tall)

70.98 �

 

 

 

*measurements in divisions of micrometer scale, 1 div. = 1.2 m