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
All the crossed plants together produced thirty-three flower-stems,
whilst the self-fertilised bore only thirteen. The number of the
capsules were counted only on the plants in Pots 1 and 3, for the
self-fertilised plants in Pot 2 produced none; therefore those on the
crossed plants on the opposite side were not counted. Capsules not
containing any good seeds were rejected. The crossed plants in the above
two pots produced 206, and the self-fertilised in the same pots only 32
capsules; or as 100 to 15. Judging from the previous generations, the
extreme unproductiveness of the self-fertilised plants in this
experiment was wholly due to their having been subjected to unfavourable
conditions, and to severe competition with the crossed plants; for had
they grown separately in good soil, it is almost certain that they would
have produced a large number of capsules. The seeds were counted in
twenty capsules from the crossed plants, and they averaged 24.75; whilst
in twenty capsules from the self-fertilised plants the average was
17.65; or as 100 to 71. Moreover, the seeds from the self-fertilised
plants were not nearly so fine as those from the crossed plants. If we
consider together the number of capsules produced and the average number
of contained seeds, the fertility of the crossed plants to the
self-fertilised plants was as 100 to 11. We thus see what a great
effect, as far as fertility is concerned, was produced by a cross
between the two varieties, which had been long exposed to different
conditions, in comparison with self-fertilisation; the fertilisation
having been in both cases of the legitimate order.
Primula sinensis.
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