Abstract

In the evolution of high-yielding strains of s variety, a study of the latter to find out its response under varied con ditions of farming is of the utmost importance. Unless its behaviour is previously known the selection will have to be based only on the empirical methods of selecting well tillered and long eared plants. Popular requirements may vote for an attractive ear while tillering may carry weight with considered judgment. But this cannot be said to hold true as a general principle in all varieties of the same duration and much less in those of different durations. The nature, number and mode of tillering though partly a genetic manifestation are a function of the life-period. It has always been the experience in cereals that to make a selection for high yield is no easy task, though many useful characters are correlated.

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