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
As just stated, the plants of the last generation, from which the
present ones were raised, were very unhealthy and their seeds of
unusually small size; and this probably accounts for the two lots
behaving differently to what they did in any of the previous or
succeeding generations. Many of the self-fertilised seeds germinated
before the crossed ones, and these were of course rejected. When the
crossed seedlings in Table 2/9 had grown to a height of between 1 and 2
feet, they were all, or almost all, shorter than their self-fertilised
opponents, but were not then measured. When they had acquired an average
height of 32.28 inches, that of the self-fertilised plants was 40.68, or
as 100 to 122. Moreover, every one of the self-fertilised plants, with a
single exception, exceeded its crossed opponent. When, however, the
crossed plants had grown to an average height of 77.56 inches, they just
exceeded (namely, by .7 of an inch) the average height of the
self-fertilised plants; but two of the latter were still taller than
their crossed opponents. I was so much astonished at this whole case,
that I tied string to the summits of the rods; the plants being thus
allowed to continue climbing upwards. When their growth was complete
they were untwined, stretched straight, and measured. The crossed plants
had now almost regained their accustomed superiority, as may be seen in
Table 2/9.
The average height of the eight crossed plants is here 113.25 inches,
and that of the self-fertilised plants 96.65, or as 100 to 85.
Nevertheless two of the self-fertilised plants, as may be seen in Table
2/9, were still higher than their crossed opponents. The latter
manifestly had much thicker stems and many more lateral branches, and
looked altogether more vigorous than the self-fertilised plants, and
generally flowered before them. The earlier flowers produced by these
self-fertilised plants did not set any capsules, and their anthers
contained only a small amount of pollen; but to this subject I shall
return. Nevertheless capsules produced by two other self-fertilised
plants of the same lot, not included in Table 2/9, which had been highly
favoured by being grown in separate pots, contained the large average
number of 5.1 seeds per capsule.
TABLE 2/9. Ipomoea purpurea (Eighth Generation).
Heights of Plants in inches:
Column 1: Number (Name) of Pot.
Column 2: Crossed Plants.
Column 3: Self-fertilised Plants.
Pot 1 : 111 6/8 : 96.
Pot 1 : 127 : 54.
Pot 1 : 130 6/8 : 93 4/8.
Pot 2 : 97 2/8 : 94.
Pot 2 : 89 4/8 : 125 6/8.
Pot 3 : 103 6/8 : 115 4/8.
Pot 3 : 100 6/8 : 84 6/8.
Pot 3 : 147 4/8 : 109 6/8.
Total : 908.25 : 773.25.
CROSSED AND SELF-FERTILISED PLANTS OF THE NINTH GENERATION.
The plants of this generation were raised in the same manner as before,
with the result shown in Table 2/10.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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