Success of a system to make self- and cross-pollinations on the same ear

Last year (MNL 50:29-30) a procedure was described by which it is possible to make self- and cross-pollinations on the same ear, using purple aleurone markers to separate the selfed and crossed portion of the ear. This system was used to carry out a form of full-sib reciprocal recurrent selection. In 1976 in replicated yield trials, among approximately 5000 plants from 86 crosses, only nine ears showed the presence of aleurone markers (i.e. only nine ears were not actually crossed genotypes); no more than two such ears in any one plot were noted. Such a small amount of contamination did not interfere with the success of this technique.

Robert W. Briggs

Please Note: Notes submitted to the Maize Genetics Cooperation Newsletter may be cited only with consent of the authors.

Return to the MNL 51 On-Line Index
Return to the Maize Newsletter Index
Return to the MaizeGDB Homepage