NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL HYBRIDS OF A CHINESE WHEAT AND RYE

Abstract

Natural crossing between wheat and rye usually is comparatively rare. Not a single hybrid was found in 20,000 plants from seed produced by wheat plants grown in proximity to rye the previous year. In another case, however, about 18 per cent of the plants of a Chinese variety were natural F₁ wheat-rye hybrids. Of the flowers of a Chinese wheat enlasculated and pollinated with rye pollen, 90.5 per cent set seed; when wheat pollen was used 89.4 per cent set seed. Natural F₁ hybrids of the Chinese wheat used by the writers and another wheat were somewhat intermediate in “crossahility” with rye.