The Effects of Cross & Self-Fertilisation in the Vegetable KingdomDarwin, Charles
Science
The Effects of Cross & Self-Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom
Darwin, Charles
Fertilization of plants; Plants -- Variation; Pollination
A few flowers were crossed with pollen from a distinct plant, but owing
to the unfavourable season only two crossed seeds were produced. Nine
seeds were saved from flowers spontaneously self-fertilised under a net,
on the same plant which yielded the two crossed seeds. One of these
crossed seeds was sown in a pot with two self-fertilised seeds on the
opposite side; the latter came up between two and three days before the
crossed seed. The second crossed seed was sown in like manner with two
self-fertilised seeds on the opposite side; these latter also came up
about a day before the crossed one. In both pots, therefore, the crossed
seedlings from germinating later, were at first completely beaten by the
self-fertilised; nevertheless, this state of things was afterwards
completely reversed. The seeds were sown late in the autumn, and the
pots, which were much too small, were kept in the greenhouse. The plants
in consequence grew badly, and the self-fertilised suffered most in both
pots. The two crossed plants when in flower during the following spring
were 9 inches in height; one of the self-fertilised plants was 8, and
the three others only 3 inches in height, being thus mere dwarfs. The
two crossed plants produced thirteen pods, whilst the four
self-fertilised plants produced only a single one. Some other
self-fertilised plants which had been raised separately in larger pots
produced several spontaneously self-fertilised pods under a net, and
seeds from these were used in the following experiment.
CROSSED AND SELF-FERTILISED PLANTS OF THE SECOND GENERATION.
The spontaneously self-fertilised seeds just mentioned, and crossed
seeds obtained by intercrossing the two crossed plants of the last
generation, after germinating on sand, were planted in pairs on the
opposite sides of three large pots. When the seedlings were only 4
inches in height, the crossed had a slight advantage over their
opponents. When grown to their full height, every one of the crossed
plants exceeded its opponent in height. Nevertheless the self-fertilised
plants in all three pots flowered before the crossed! The measurements
are given in Table 5/52.
TABLE 5/52. Lupinus luteus.
Heights of plants measured in inches.
Column 1: Number (Name) of Pot.
Column 2: Crossed Plants.
Column 3: Self-fertilised Plants.
Pot 1 : 33 2/8 : 24 4/8.
Pot 1 : 30 4/8 : 18 4/8.
Pot 1 : 30 : 28.
Pot 2 : 29 4/8 : 26.
Pot 2 : 30 : 25.
Pot 3 : 30 4/8 : 28.
Pot 3 : 31 : 27 2/8.
Pot 3 : 31 4/8 : 24 4/8.
Total : 246.25 : 201.75.
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