Agronomic Mutations in Oats Induced by X‐Ray Treatment 1

HpHERE has developed in the United States, largely as a •*• result of Swedish publications, a renewal of interest in "mutation breeding" in the cereal crops. From 1930, when Stadler (8) reported upon his experiments with irradiation of cereal grains, until 1950, there was a conspicuous absence of the use of induced mutations in plant breeding in the United States. Meanwhile, plant breeders in Sweden and Germany (1, 5) succeeded in inducing and isolating mutations with agronomic value from X-ray treated barley. Gustafsson (4, 5) published upon several induced beneficial agronomic mutations in barley including a stiff strawed strain called "erectoides," and two or three mutant lines which produced very high yields. The best of these yielded 10% more grain than the parental variety, Gull, and one line showed improved malting quality. Shebeski and Lawrence (7) have reported a mutant Barley strain from irradiated Montcalm variety which is equal to Montcalm in grain production and malting quality, out has shorter and stiffer straw. MacKey (6) obtained a number of the mutant strains from irradiated oats which were earlier and produced higher yields than the parental varieties. Similar results were obtained with wheat. This paper is a more complete report of an earlier publication by Frey (2) in which beneficial mutations selected from irradiated oats were briefly described. The data pre-