Abstract

To a plant breeder with whom seed material especially of single plants, accumulates rapidly, the whole of which cannot be worked off each succeeding year, the question of how long and in what way this seed could best be preserved with unimpaired viability is a matter of primary importance. In a previous article (Rangaswami Ayyangar and Vijayaraghavan) the result of the germination tests of loose sorghum seed stored in tin screw top bottles has been reported, and it was recorded that the seeds retain full vitality for about 2 years and when four years old deteriorated to a germination capacity of only about 10 per cent. It was also recorded that preserving the seed in naphthaline, which keeps the seed free from damage from pests of stored grain, does not affect its germination capacity. In breeding work in sorghum the individual head is usually the seed unit and it has been the practice at the Millets Breeding Station to keep the seed material from single plant selections as earheads and to thresh them only just prior to sowing. As the earheads are compact and the seeds safely clipped up in the glumes, it has been found that it was enough to scissor off portions of the earhead for sowing purposes and have the rest of it as a sample for future reference, so that the general configuration of the earhead and the seeds on it is, in a meas- ure, preserved for future use. Leaving the seeds in the glumes is an added advantage.

Keywords: